With only a few short days left in National American Red Cross Month, it is important for me to provide you with options and for you to fully understand them. I am well aware that whole blood donation may not be for everyone, but through modern advancements and technology, the Red Cross has made other donation possibilities open to you!
In a previous post, I mentioned the process of apheresis and how it works. Just to reiterate, this process separates and collects only one particular component of the blood. One of those components could be platelets. There is a HUGE need for platelet donations. After collection from the donor, platelets must be used within 5 days of donation. Because of the rapid expiration rate and lack of stock, continually having platelet donations is vital. While 1 pint of blood is collected during a whole blood donation, only about 1/4 of a pint is collected and separated out into the various blood components during a platelet donation. Once the blood goes through the cell separating machine and the platelets have been collected, the remaining components of the 1/4 pint of blood are put back into the body. It's that simple! You aren't losing as much blood as you would be if you were doing a whole blood donation, yet you are still saving lives! In fact, just one platelet donation can provide a full therapeutic dose for a patient, or it can even provide for 2 or 3 doses depending on the number of platelets collected! So, if the traditional, whole blood donation isn't for you, you still have a venue through which to save lives! Donate platelets, save a life!
For those of you who may want to be a hero tomorrow, here are March 26th's blood drives across the state of South Carolina:*
Summerville High School- Summerville
SC Department of Education- Columbia
City of Myrtle Beach- Myrtle Beach
*All dates and locations were obtained via the official American Red Cross Website.
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