National Blood Donor Month
Red Cross is in an EMERGENCY Situation

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By Carol Fisher Linn

 

   Volunteer donors can get big perks…

  Have you ever donated blood? Are you motivated to do good for your fellow humans? Here is an opportunity to do something good for strangers in need. Do you have to be enticed? Are you an avid football fan? Does your heart race at the thought of possibly going to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona???? Here’s why you should be running to the nearest donation site by January 31!!! 

    Found this on their website … “The American Red Cross and the NFL are partnering this January, during National Blood Donor Month, to invite football fans and blood donors to join our lifesaving score big for patients in need…To thank donors for helping during the critical post-holiday time, those who come to give January 1-31, 2023, will automatically be entered to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.”

    Now, go to the Red Cross site at www.redcrossblood.org to get the full donation schedule. I have found a few January options for you. None in Ellicottville in January, but Our Lady of Peace Church in Salamanca has one Jan. 27, Holy Spirit Church, North Collins Jan. 19, Cassadaga Fire Hall, Jan 28, Westfield School Jan 19. There, I’ve gotten you started but go to the site to enter your preferred zip code. But remember, you must donate by January 31st to be put into the drawing. 

    So, if you win, you and your guest not only get to see the game in real-life, but “you get access to day-of, in-stadium pre-game activities, tickets to the official Super Bowl Experience, round-trip airfare to Phoenix, three-night hotel accommodations (Feb. 10-13, 2023) plus a $500 gift card for expenses.” WOW!

    Hey, I’m not asking. Peyton Manning is! “If everyone does their part together and we collectively as a community commit to donating blood, we also can stack up more wins. One person alone is certainly impactful, but a whole team of people coming together to donate has an even greater effect.” 

    So, seriously, why give blood? What’s in it for you other than personal satisfaction of helping in this emergency? You get a free mini-health screening: when you sign up to donate, your blood pressure, hemoglobin and pulse are checked. This is recorded on a donor profile which you can access at any time and report any irregularities to your doctor.

    In NYS and PA you can donate at age 16 with parental permission, at 17 you’re on your own. There is no upper age limit, but you must be healthy and have hemoglobin (basically iron) levels of at least 12.5 but not over 20. You must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and feeling well, and 56 days or more must have passed since your last donation. Criteria are different for other types of blood donations which you can find on the Red Cross website. A word to the elderly. If you are fit and fulfill the health, etc., and iron requirements, you may have to be tough and insist you will give. That has been so in my case, and I just held firm and was allowed to donate.

    To help elevate the critical iron requirement, here are some foods to eat before going in to donate: chicken turkey, lamb, lean beef, raisins, whole wheat breads, cereals and pasta, cream of wheat, quinoa, rice, avocado, cooked spinach (remember Popeye?) and mushrooms, baked potato, legumes, tofu, lentils. Eating foods with high levels of Vitamin C will help increase your body’s ability to absorb iron: Citrus fruits, chard, broccoli, tomatoes, red or green bell pepper, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe. You will want to avoid greasy hamburger or French fries before you donate, as well as coffee, tea (any kind), dairy products, foods high in dietary fiber, wine, beer, soda, calcium supplements. You will be asked which drugs you take. Most are acceptable and will not hinder your ability to donate. And, yes, you can donate even with a medical condition if you are otherwise healthy.

    So, ignore the myths, go online to get the facts, and donate in this current emergency … or anytime. Blood donations are always needed to save lives. It takes so little to help. Just Do It!


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