Donate blood: Lives depend on simple gift

The need for blood is always great. This week, the need is greater.

Too many people take the availability of blood for granted. If you needed blood to survive, you'd expect medical officials to be able to supply it.

But there's only one source of human blood. And although an estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population is medically eligible to donate, less than 10 percent actually do so each year.

Millions of people walk this Earth today because of those generous few willing to give up a bit of their time. The process is safe, simple and relatively painless.

Blood donation is a simple four-step process: registration, medical history and mini-physical, donation and refreshments. Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor's temperature, blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor and then discarded. The actual blood donation typically takes less than 10-12 minutes. The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

One donation can help save the lives of up to three people.

Those who donate do so regularly. There are just too few. Unused blood donations, under federal guidelines, have to be discarded after 42 days. So the supply has to be replenished frequently.

That's why LifeShare Blood Centers are constantly seeking donors at their offices and mobile units. The need is constant.

But this week, the need is critical.

Ice and snow created an avalanche of blood drive cancellations for LifeShare Blood Centers from donor groups located in northeastern Louisiana.

Twelve mobile blood drives have already been canceled this week. Those 12 previously scheduled drives would have produced 370 lifesaving blood units. An additional 20 units of blood was not collected when LifeShare's facilities in Monroe, Ruston and in El Dorado were closed because of the hazardous weather.

LifeShare Blood Centers regularly supplies blood components to 117 medical facilities throughout Louisiana, East Texas and South Arkansas.

Eligible blood donors are being asked to donate blood as soon as possible to help recoup the losses experienced because of the winter storm cancellations.

The faithful donors will line up. But this is a perfect time to consider becoming a first-time donor. Organizations that would like to host a blood drive can contact LifeShare in Monroe at 322-4445.

Lives are in the balance. Maybe even yours.

The editorials in this column represent the opinions of The News-Star's editorial board, composed of General Manager and Executive Editor Kathy Spurlock, Business and Politics Reporter Greg Hilburn and Education Reporter Barbara Leader.