What Happens When I Donate Blood?
Want to donate? You must:
Donating Blood
Roll your mouse over the scenarios to see what happens at each step:
Drink and Eat
The benefits of giving blood
Giving blood is a great thing to do. By making a blood donation, you are not only helping save the lives of people you will never meet; you're also doing yourself a good turn.
A regular check-up
Each time you make a donation, we check your blood pressure and haemoglobin (an indication of your iron level).
The benefits of giving blood
What Happens When You Give Blood
I want to give blood, what do I do?
First of all, call 13 14 95 to make an appointment. When you call, one of our friendly staff will also ask you a few pre-screening questions to evaluate whether you meet the main criteria to give blood. Your ultimate eligibility is determined on donation day.
Donor Well Being
Blood donors are our greatest asset. We are therefore very anxious to ensure that you have a positive experience when you give us your blood and time. Here are some tips on what you can do to help your body prepare for the donation and to recuperate after the donation.
Before your donation
You should make sure that you drink plenty of water and have something substantial to eat before you donate.
After it is donated, whole blood is most often broken down into components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma.
The 13.9 million units of donated blood each year are broken down into more than 26.5 million units of blood components, which are in turn transfused to about 4.5 million patients per year.*
The American Red Cross supplies blood to 3,000 hospitals across the country.+
Give Blood: Give Life
Every minute of every day, someone needs blood. That blood can only come from a volunteer donor, a person like you who takes just a few minutes to donate. There is no substitute for your donation.
Plasma Apheresis
Become a Plasma Donor
All blood donors are heroes in the eyes of the patients whose lives they save. By volunteering to donate plasma, blood donors take being a hero yet another step further.
Plasma helps many of the most vulnerable patients in your community newborn babies, leukemia patients, burn patients, and those who have undergone transplant or cardiovascular therapy.
Become a Platelet Donor
By donating your platelets through platelet apheresis (ay-fer-ee-sis), you give a very special gift of life.
Most patients undergoing a bone marrow transplant, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment or organ transplant need platelets in order to survive. In fact, doctors are finding that platelets play a vital role in more and more new therapies.
What to Expect When Donating Blood
Each year, millions of Americans take time out to give the gift of life. Because the American Red Cross knows how valuable that time is, we want you to understand the donation process and save you time if you aren't eligible to donate.
Here's what happens when you arrive at the blood drive or center.
You'll be asked for a form of identification each time you donate. You'll provide this information:
BLOOD DONATION ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES
http://www.donate-blood.org/contribute.html
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