Got Blood??

Hello Mighty MCC!!

I got a call on Tuesday night from the American Red Cross and the lovely gal on the other end was letting me know we are now in a very critical shortage for all blood types.  They always call on me as soon as I am eligible to give as I am O- and that is the universal blood cell.  So I thought I would share not only the need but also a few facts courtesy of the American Red Cross.

1.  Type O make up 45% of the population - approx 38% have O+ and 7% have O-.  O- can be given to any patient regardless of their type and is commonly used for premature infants and trauma patients.  It can be given to 84% of the population!!!

2.  Type A make up 40% of the population - approx 34% are A+ and 6% are A-.  A+ platelets can be given to 85% of the population, these are needed to support patients undergoing cancer treatment.  Type A is the second most prevelant blood type.

3.  Type AB makes up 4% of the population - approx 3% have AB+ and 1% have AB-.  AB is the universal plasma, it can be given to all blood types.  Plasma is essential for many kinds of patients, including burn victims.

4.  Type B makes up 11% of the population - approx 9% have B+ and 2% have B-.  Type B patients can only receive bype B or O red blood cells.  Because it is hard to maintain an adequate supply of Type O, Type B is important for Type B patients - most needed B-.

Did you know:

You can donate blood 6 times a year.

You can potentially save 3 lives from a single donation.

Someone in America needs blood every 2 seconds.

SE MI needs approximately 900 donors each day.

USA needs approximately 39,000 pints of blood every day.

To find out more, set an appointment and to get answers to your questions, please visit www.givelife.org.  Or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. 

Thank you!!  And btw - I gave yesterday and am eligible on November 12 to do it again.