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Blood —  Life’s Stimulus Package

Today I paid my monthly visit to Virginia Blood Services to donate platelets and was reminded what a blessing it is to be healthy enough to give a few hours each month to save someone’s life.  As far as I know, there’s no other direct way I can make that kind of physical life-saving difference.  This is my pitch to encourage brothers and sisters at PMC to consider giving blood on a regular basis.  According to VBS, by age 72 about 95 percent of all Americans will need blood at some point--a fairly compelling statistic.

Only in the past few years have I been aware of the special need there is for platelet and red cell donations.  Although these take longer than giving whole blood, they go much farther in helping patients, especially following surgery or during chemotherapy treatments.   For just one example, leukemia patients require 10-12 units of platelets weekly during treatments, and since platelets live outside the body for only five days, it’s critical to have regular donations.

My donation day is one of the highlights of each month.  My sister and I go together and enjoy the friends we’ve made at VBS; then we run our Richmond errands and have lunch.  Today we explored the new Fresh Market and treated ourselves to some gourmet food—hardly what anyone would consider a sacrifice!  Give it a try; I’m betting you’ll make it a habit.

By Carolyn Nowlin

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