From infants to accident survivors and cancer patients, people around the world rely on blood donations every day to survive. However, it might be easy to overlook the value of being a blood donor; some people rely on the fact that other people are doing it, others are simply reluctant to do it, so we’re here to distinguish fact from fiction around blood donation!
Blood donors live a longer life | FACT
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, doing good for others is one way to live a longer life. Blood donation is also proven to be vital to your health and reduced chances of having heart attacks, strokes and cancers.1
Common blood types are not needed | FICTION
A great misconception is that if you have a common blood type, then it is probably not needed. On the contrary, if it’s common across all people, then it’s common across patients too! So whether your blood type is common or rare, it is constantly required.2
You can donate blood more than twice a year | FACT
The most common type of blood donation (whole blood) can be done every 56 days. Other types such as red blood cell donation can be done every 112 days.3 So if you already donated blood this year, don’t hesitate to do it again to help save more lives!
Blood donation is painful and time-consuming | FICTION
Beyond the pinch of the needle and the pressure of the bandage, the process of blood donation itself is not painful and only takes around 10 minutes.4
Now that you have overcome some popular misconceptions about blood donation, it’s time to contribute and help others in your community, and more importantly, make it a habit! Start by conducting a simple research on a blood bank near you.
If you reside in Jordan, the National Center for Blood Bank is a great institution that distributes blood to hospitals and health centers across the country. They even offer dedicated and sanitary medical vans for corporates with a team of medical professionals that complete blood donation for employees in a safe manner.
Did you know? By the time you finished reading this article, almost 40 people had become in need of blood.5
References:
- Rachel Swalin June 13, and Rachel Swalin. “4 Unexpected Benefits of Donating Blood.” Health.com, June 13, 2014. https://www.health.com/mind-body/4-unexpected-benefits-of-donating-blood.
- “Myths about Blood Donation.” Myths about blood donation - Blood service. Accessed July 28, 2020. https://yadonor.ru/en/donorstvo/about_donorstvo/myths.
- Roland, James. “How Often Can You Donate Blood? What to Know About Giving Blood.” Healthline. Healthline Media, December 10, 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/how-often-can-you-donate-blood.
- Northwestern Medicine. “9 Myths About Donating Blood.” Northwestern Medicine. Accessed July 28, 2020. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/9-myths-about-donating-blood.
- “10 Interesting Facts about Blood Donation.” UWI Blood Donor Foundation. Accessed July 28, 2020. http://uwiblood.com/interesting-facts-about-blood-donation.
