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I have been told my whole life that couldn’t donate blood. Now at the age of 46, I realized I had no clue why. Earlier in the year, my mother took a fall, shattering her hip and breaking her leg in three places. Both of the injuries required surgery. And during two of the surgeries, she required blood transfusions.
The more I thought about it I realized – I had never tried to donate. Why not give it a shot? I know blood is always needed.
So, I scheduled a donation, answered all the survey questions, and arrived at the time of my appointment. Simple. So was the blood draw itself, thanks to a great team of Red Cross phlebotomists.
After the donation, I waited. Thanks to the Red Cross and its technology I was able to track my blood as it traveled through the different stages of the journey.
Turns out there wasn’t a single reason I couldn’t donate. During each step, I received new information. I also learned I was an O+ donor. A universal and much-needed blood type.
I have since scheduled another appointment and encourage others to do the same.
Between Thanksgiving and the new year, more than 1 million units of blood may be given to patients in the U.S. Your donation is needed more than you think and could be the perfect gift to give this December. Sign up to donate with the Red Cross: rcblood.org/donate
American Red Cross NW Region 