On an otherwise ordinary day this summer, globally syndicated talk show host Dr Daliah Wachs MD took to Twitter in praise of our The Great Lakes State for its formal proclamation of Thursday, September 5, 2019 as “Blood Donation Day in Michigan.” [1,2]
In official documentation, Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated that this “effectively serves to remind us that we need to constantly replenish our blood supply through donation and raise public awareness around the urgent need for blood donation.
[Of] the 38 percent of the US population eligible to donate, less than 3 percent actually donate, despite the fact that one blood donation can help up to three patients.
Dr Wachs expanded upon this for Saline Journal last week and again earlier today.
September is National Preparedness Month and donating blood is all about preparing for calamities that could affect us. It takes at least 2 days to ready a unit of donated blood for donation to a patient in need. Also, we have Hurricane Dorian expected to make landfall, which will put millions at risk.
During this exact time of increased need, those very people will not themselves be donating blood, she added.
In connecting this ongoing critical need to the heart — both literally and emotionally — she observed that many people “want to help others but do not have money to donate. This donation free and is lifesaving.”
On top of that, it is “one of the best ways to help others!”
Success in meeting this need requires both reminding dedicated donors to keep up the good work and make time to give again, as well as making it as easy as possible to attract and accommodate those who newly find themselves in a position to give blood. In anticipation of this need as well, the American Red Cross hosts an extensive “First Time Donors” page on its website. [3]
Even as a practicing board-certified Family Medicine Physician, Dr Daliah Wachs confesses to getting “a little nervous around sharps.” Yet she herself donates blood often.
Needles aren’t fun and the idea of ‘blood needs to stay in side’ is normal and instinctive for us animals. But saving lives come first. And the blood banks give you free cookies!
Her personal preference is chocolate chip.
From her perspective as a doctor, she then reminded Saline Journal readers that “you will not get a disease from donating blood. All equipment is sterile so there is minimal risk of getting sick while giving blood. Rarely, you may feel a little dizzy — but the blood banks have you sit for a bit and give you juice and cookies to make sure that’s not the case.
People fear they will be weaker if they donate a pint of blood not true. We have plenty of blood [in our bodies] and there is no evidence that donating blood makes one sick.
Among other social media outlets, Dr Wachs has an advocacy page on Facebook to promote not just September 5, 2019 as “National Blood Donation Day,” but also September 2 through 9 as “National Blood Donation Week.” As of 6:42pm this evening, she’d given shout-outs to thirty-four governors in the United States for official proclamations made in support of making blood donations this week. [4,5]
At the local level, see “Give Blood. Find a Drive.” page on the American Red Cross website.
“Blood is a year round need,” Dr Daliah Wachs concluded, adding that most individuals can on average safely donate three times per year, “saving many lives.”
References
- Daliah Wachs MD, FAAFP (home page).
- Dr Daliah (Twitter feed).
- “First Time Donors” American Red Cross.
- National Blood Donation Week 9/2-9/9 and Nat’l Blood Donation Day 9/5 (Facebook Page).
- “Governor Proclamations for National Blood Donation Week 2019” Dr Daliah Wachs (August 20, 2019) Dr Daliah.
- “Give Blood. Find a Drive.” American Red Cross.
