Discover 10 incredible ways your blood donations become a lifeline for others.
Donating blood is often described as giving the gift of life.
Doing so is a simple act for most healthy adults; it typically takes less than an hour, and it can profoundly impact those who receive your blood, even though you'll almost certainly never know who you have helped.
Behind every bag of donated blood is a potential story of recovery, survival, and hope. Yet the need for blood donations is constant due to the limited shelf life of different blood components. For example, while plasma can be frozen and stored for up to 36 months, granulocytes have a shelf life of only 24 hours! And on top of that, the blood volume or components needed at any given time will always be unpredictable.
So where does your blood donation go, and who does it help, and how?
Here are 10 ways your donated blood helps others.
In emergencies like serious car accidents or natural disasters such as earthquakes, blood loss is often the most significant threat to life. Medics being able to replace patients' lost blood rapidly is essential for maintaining blood pressure and ensuring oxygen reaches their vital organs.
Several components of blood are vital in these situations:
Emergency rooms rely on readily available blood – often requiring multiple units for single patients in the most serious situations – so they have the best chance of saving a patient's life.
Your donation could be the one that makes the difference.
Many surgeries can involve significant blood loss, so an adequate supply must be available before, during and after such procedures.
Blood transfusions ensure that surgeons can perform operations safely and that patients remain stable during surgery. Without a sufficient blood supply, many operations would be much riskier or even impossible.
Your blood is an essential safety net that allows patients to undergo procedures that could save or dramatically enhance their lives.
Treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy are designed to target and destroy cancer cells but can also damage healthy bone marrow where we produce our blood, potentially leading to risks like anaemia and a compromised immune system due to the impact on red and white blood cells, respectively.
For these reasons, blood transfusions are essential to many cancer treatment programs.
Individuals living with blood disorders like sickle cell disease and thalassemia rely heavily on blood donations.
In the case of sickle cell disease, blood transfusions help to reduce the frequency and intensity of pain and also lower the risk of long-term complications like stroke and organ damage.
In contrast, some patients with thalassemia rely on blood transfusions every few weeks simply to survive and maintain an energy level that allows them to live their lives.
While anaemia is most commonly associated with blood loss and cancer treatments, various chronic conditions, including chronic kidney disease and rheumatoid arthritis, can lead to persistent anaemia where the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells or where red blood cells don’t function correctly.
In addition to treatment targeting the underlying cause of anaemia, blood transfusions help relieve the common symptoms of chronic anaemia, including fatigue and shortness of breath, and can significantly improve a patient's ability to go about their lives in an otherwise healthy way.
Severe bleeding during or after childbirth is a significant risk and, according to World Health Organization data, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide.
Blood transfusions can be lifesaving in such emergencies, rapidly replacing lost blood and preventing catastrophic injuries as well as death for the mother.
Premature babies may also face significant health challenges, including anaemia of prematurity and the need for surgeries. Frequent blood tests can also deplete their already low blood volume, making transfusions vital for these fragile infants to survive and thrive in their early days, weeks and months.
Blood donations are often divided into components and plasma, the liquid portion of our blood, is incredibly versatile. Plasma is rich in vital proteins and can be transfused directly to treat conditions like liver failure and burns. Crucially, plasma can be pooled from many donors and then processed to create specialist medical treatments, including:
Platelets are essential for clotting. Think about when you cut yourself and you stop bleeding; that’s because platelets have stuck together and created a plug to stop the bleeding.
Patients may need platelet transfusions if their count is low or if they aren’t functioning correctly, and are commonly given to:
Having an adequate supply of blood and individual blood components is critical to the success of organ and tissue transplants. As well as supporting patients during the demanding procedure itself, blood and blood components also help during the immediate post-surgery period, when patients’ bodies are adapting and dealing with the stress of the operation and the new organ or tissue.
Without the availability of blood and the willingness of blood donors, many transplants would be too risky even to consider.
While most donated blood goes directly to use in patient transfusions, sometimes donated blood plays a vital role in medical research and development.
Blood samples are essential for many research elements, including:
Donating blood is safe and straightforward and can usually be done in under an hour – although the drawing of blood itself may take as little as 5 – 15 minutes.
While the requirements around blood donation will depend on your location, typically, you will need to be:
The authority that collects blood donations wherever you are will be able to provide specific guidance around your eligibility to donate.
From the neonatal unit to the cancer ward, your donated blood is a silent hero, enabling patients to heal, regain their strength, and, perhaps most importantly, have hope. Each single blood donation has the potential to save or improve up to three lives when separated into its individual components – and the 10 ways your blood makes a difference that we’ve listed here only scratches the surface of the impact of donations!
If you are eligible and feel comfortable doing so, consider making blood donation one of your routines. It costs you nothing other than around an hour of your day, yet the value it provides is immeasurable.