Studies show that one out of 10 people will be a blood recipient during his or her lifetime. The nation is currently in critical condition in terms of blood availability, and experts say that anyone who meets the criteria for donating blood should do so.
The South Florida Blood Bank [SFB], a nonprofit organization, comes to UM the first Monday and Tuesday of every month, in hopes of attracting youths to help save lives. SFB is the only source of blood for Jackson Memorial Hospital and Ryder Trauma Center.
During one particular visit, for example, they were able to collect about 60 pints of blood. Though this may seem like a lot, Magda Campoamor, representative from SFB, says that this is only enough blood for one heart or liver transplant. It is often the amount of blood needed to treat injuries from car accidents.
“Every pint makes a difference,” Campoamor said, who donates blood every two months. “Plus, you never know when you’ll be needing blood.”
“Thirty minutes of my time can save someone’s life, so why not?” -Carolyn Vickers Junior
Donors like senior Dana Szpunar and junior Carolyn Vickers say that they try to donate as often as possible.
Szpunar said the extra perks to donating blood, such as free shirts and a DVD player he won once, are “icing on the cake.”
“Thirty minutes of my time can save someone’s life, so why not?” Vickers said. I
>> For more information, contact Magda Campoamor at mcampoamor@sfbb.org or visit www.sfbb.org.