Tonight I attended the Blood Bank to make my quarterly deposit. It doesn't take long - generally less than an hour; I get a chocolate milkshake, a bag of munchies afterwards and that warm inner glow knowing that I have done a good thing because one blood donation can be used to save up to 3 lives.
I'd like to say that it's completely altruistic but it's not. While I've been fortunate enough never to have made a withdrawal, I like to think of it as an investment for the future... The Australian Red Cross says that one in three Australians will need blood at some stage during their lifetime – but only one in 30 currently give it. Furthermore, Australia needs 26,000 blood donations per week to ensure there are adequate supplies for those people who need it.
We all hope we never ever have a serious enough issue that would require a blood transfusion or something similar but we all expect it to be available if we do. A little difficult if there are more withdrawals tha deposits. I didn't realise it until I jumped on the website tonight to get all these handy facts but this week is National Blood Donor Week (18 - 24 July) so provided you are fit and healthy, and aged between 16 and 70 years, you may be eligible to give blood.
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