The little kid ran out into the street unexpectedly.  The slow moving car had no time to react. It ran over the child. For the 10 or 15 people in the immediate vicinity – time stood still as the screeching tires and thud registered in their minds.

The child’s blood was everywhere on the street. The mother and driver appeared in shock.  Someone called an ambulance. It was a small town – the transport was there in minutes. The child and mother were to be taken to the small hospital in the next larger town.

Some of the bystanders exchanged contact information.
We got back in our car and continued our trip.

Later someone wrote and said there had been massive internal damage.  The hospital didn’t have enough of the child’s blood type on hand to sustain the emergency operations. They tried to quickly find more blood somewhere – anywhere. By the time donors were located – time had run out. There was no further need to donate.

It only took a second for the accident to happen. It took more then half a day to try and find donors of the correct blood type. Better idea: identify donors in advance of the need.

Gilda

Editor’s Note: Help build the national online database of individual’s willing to donate blood in the event of a future accident – operation – illness. It’s dumb to waste lives because information wasn’t organized in advance – made available with a mouse click. www.PhilippinesBloodRegistry.com

Tell members of your local Medical community about the Registry. They’re the ones that have to watch in frustration as a life slowly fades.

There are a lot of blood donation drives all over the country and around the world that is looking for eager citizens to donate their own blood to help those who are in desperate need of blood. No, these are not given to vampires who can’t survive a day without sucking fresh blood but it’s given to people who are at the brink of death either because of an accident or of a physical condition that requires them to look for an immediate source of blood.

People are scared of donating blood because it’s not painless and many are scared of needles and the thought that a one inch needle would be pricked into their veins just doesn’t sound too appealing to many.  It is scary but if you just think about the lives you get to save just by making that little sacrifice, suddenly it will dawn on you that there is a great need for blood donations and your contribution can truly save another person’s life. After all, it’s just one little prick and after donating blood you can just go on with your life.

Think about it. What have you done in your day that is significant?  Would there be any act that is more righteous than saving another person’s life? Much more, saving a stranger’s life without getting anything in return?  It’s a sacrifice that truly defines your character as a person.

Also, when you get to donate blood you are entitled of the same amount of blood that you can request once you or your loved ones would be in need of some blood as well. So, donating blood is really of a double purpose. You get to save a stranger’s life and you can also save yours or your loved one’s life when it’s your turn to be in desperate need of blood supply.

There is a constant need for blood donations. More blood is needed everyday. You can save a life today by making that decision to go and donate some blood.

- Eli

Blood is the fluid of life. It is also the fluid of growth and the fluid of health. The body’s organs get the oxygen and nutrients they need in blood in order to survive. That’s why humans can’t live without blood. Without enough blood, we will be weaken and die; we couldn’t keep warm or cool off but with the help of blood we can also fight diseases or illnesses, or get free of our own waste products. Almost all of us are expecting that blood is always there for us. But sooner or later there is a possibility that all of us will face a time of great weakness in which we will need blood. And that time is not always we expect.

Now a days, many community services were formed in order to help those people who need blood. In the developed world, blood donations arise in order to help those people who are in need of blood and there are also donors that can also have their blood drawn for their own future use. When we say blood donations, it is when a healthy person voluntarily has blood drawn. The person who gives their blood for a community supply is called the blood donors. Mostly blood donors are unpaid volunteers who give as an act of charity. Some donors give blood only when family and friends need transfusions.

Potential donors are evaluated whether their blood is unsafe to use or not because blood transfusion may cause transmitted disease like HIV or Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis which includes the hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. There is also a physical examination to those potential donors to make sure that the donation is not harmful to their health before the donation is done. In an examination, they also check whether you have a tattoo or not, if you have, you cannot make a donation because having a tattoo, your blood is considered as unclean. One thing that the donors should bear into their mind that “when they give blood, they save life”.

Aiza Artillero