Being a donor is one of the most valuable actions we can do for another person. We adopt a very supportive attitude with certain causes, such as the preservation of the environment or the protection of human rights in remote parts of the world. However we do not pay too much attention to donating blood. A simple gesture for you that can save the lives of many people. Do you want to be a blood donor?
Reasons to be a blood donor
- There are many sick people who require a blood transfusion to survive, victims of accidents, certain surgeries, cancer patients… Blood transfusion often becomes the only resource that can save a patient’s life. The procedure is simple, but blood is needed and you can be a blood donor without any risk to your health.
- There are some facts that can help you decide to donate your blood on a regular basis. With a blood donation you can save 3 lives and blood transfusions save 75 lives every day. It seems like strong data on people’s health and we can all do something to continue saving lives on a daily basis. Keep in mind that blood cannot be manufactured or replaced by another treatment, which is why it is so important that people become donors and that the blood banks in each hospital are always covered.
Who can be a blood donor
- If you are wondering if you are suitable to donate your blood, surely the answer is yes. In principle, any person between the ages of 18 and 65 who weighs more than 50 kilos can be a donor. In any case, you can go to a blood donor association to be informed of the entire procedure, something you can also do at any health center.
- Donating blood does not imply any risk to your health, because the amount of blood taken from you is easily recovered. In addition, to guarantee the safety of the patient and your own, they carry out an exhaustive analysis to check your blood group and to detect possible diseases such as syphilis, AIDS, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Of course, in the event that they found any abnormality in your blood, they would inform you immediately.
- In addition to the analysis, to be a blood donor, they first take a questionnaire in order to know your medical history and make sure that you have not been in situations of risk to your health in recent months, such as having traveled to some areas with presence of malaria or having practiced unprotected sex with the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
- As you can see, donating blood is also an advantage for your health. For greater security in donations, a periodicity of a maximum of 3 extractions per year is established in the case of women and 4 times in that of men. It doesn’t seem like a big effort considering that a single gesture can save several lives.
