Want to Save Lives? Give Blood.

Blood is everywhere. Blood is the central theme for our favorite shows, war video games and horror movies. We are not a squeamish nation. The sight of blood doesn’t have us searching for our fainting salts or produces nightmares. Five movies of SAW is proof of our sturdy constitution. The American Red Cross like the rest of the nation is partial to the sight of large supplies of blood. We like to have our blood bank overflowing with healthy and viable blood that is ready to save lives. Currently, the American Red Cross is experiencing a shortage of blood donations, which poses a challenge when demand for blood remains steady.

One pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. Only 3% of Americans donate blood. The following reasons may help inspire you to give blood:

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of
them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
(2006).
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
• The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event
occurs.
• Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of
whom are African American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood
transfusions throughout their lives.

Join the 3% of the population and help save lives. Give Blood.

To find a local blood drive, visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/
Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/AmRedCross for more videos like Brian's Story

Where Does the Haiti Relief Money Go?

Today, I had the opportunity to talk with the staff of Threadless -- a t-shirt company that you should know about, if you don't already. They made a $100,000 donation about a year ago to support our relief effort in Haiti, and they wanted to know more about how the money made an impact.

There are a lot of ways that we can answer that question -- "Where does the money go?"

We can do the math: Well, if $100 can provide a cooking set, hygien pack, blankets, and water containers for a family of five, your $100,000 helped 1,000 families.

We can tell the story: "A line of men, women and children stretches around the corner of the white tent, each waiting patiently to tell their story to the attending doctors from the Red Cross mobile health clinic..." and so on.

We can provide the data: Pie charts, maps and such will show you, quite precisely where the money goes.

We can show you very touching videos with pleasant music.

But, with Threadless, this just didn't feel right. I mean, look at their Headquarters, here in Chicago:

Does this audience strike you as one that wants to hear numbers or watch more than a couple of videos? Me neither.

Talking with them today reminded me how isolated our donors must feel from the impact of their donation. It just doesn't occur to you that you actually save lives, does it?

Listen up. You do.

Even $5 bought some individual in Haiti a water container to store clean drinking water. That individual you helped with your 5 bucks may have been this kid:

You did that. Threadless did that for 19,999 additional kids. Do you get what I'm saying?

Do me (and yourself) a favor. If you gave to the Haiti relief effort, do these 3 things:

1) think about how much you gave

2) do the water container math ($5 bucks a pop)

3) and look at the faces of the people it helped.

You matter to that kid. Man oh man. You matter.

Make a Difference With a Blood Donation

You don’t have to be a superhero to make a difference in someone’s life. Even donating a pint of blood goes a long way in preparing and helping a community. Ordinary people took some time out of their busy schedules to give blood at the American Red Cross blood drive hosted by Loyola University. Some came to continue a legacy; others were first-timers who felt it was their way of giving back to society.

“My grandmother gets blood transfusions regularly and I’m just trying to catch up,” said Jeff McDonald, a law student at Loyola University. Jeff’s grandmother is 101 years old and the transfusions boost her health and mental disposition, he said.

Another blood donor, James Wade, was there to fulfill a family commitment. “My dad always gave blood so I’m keeping up the tradition,” Wade said.

One person in the United States needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. Blood and platelets are also used for trauma victims-those who suffered accidents and burns-heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, premature babies and for patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or other diseases, such as sickle cell disease. Thus, the need is unending.

Recently, the American Red Cross sent out an urgent appeal for blood donations. The extreme winter weather and predictions of upcoming storms caused 14,000 blood donation cancellations this season. And this is the first time in ten years that the Red Cross blood supply has dropped this low.

Blood donor, Greg Vera, considers it to be his responsibility. “Giving blood is so accessible that it’s inexcusable not to if you can. For me personally, it’s almost to be like a moral obligation. I try to give once every 8 weeks,” he added.

Donors at the Loyola blood drive had the chance to meet reality star Jillian Harris of the Bachelor and Extreme Home Makeover. Harris is a long time blood donor and also encourages people who are eligible to give blood. While lying on the cot waiting for her turn, she said it was the easiest way to make a big difference in someone’s life.

To schedule an appointment for a blood donation today, please visit, http://www.redcrossblood.org/. You can also visit chicagoredcross.org for more information.

Written by Erica Serna and Maliha Sadiq.












To see more photos from the Loyola blood drive visit our Flickr page.

Blood, Sweat and Bears

Sixty seconds was all it took for the most anticipated football game in the Midwest to sell out. The Bears and the Packers face off for the 182nd time and are prepared to give it their all. The rivalry between the teams runs deep, so the fans are ready for an intense play-off game 60 years in the making. Already, Chicago is rallying to show our team that we are behind them 150%.

Even though I’m not a football fan, I find it difficult not to feel a sense of excitement and pride in knowing that the Bears are in the plays-offs. I cannot help but be swept away by the energy that radiates from football enthusiasts. The fervor is contagious and makes me want to join the Bears movement and become a die-hard fan.

As I get swept away in Bear fever, I realize that energy and enthusiasm drive us, but loyalty to Chicago binds us. Like Bears fever, the Red Cross of Greater Chicago is a movement that uplifts, unites and inspires Chicagoans. Our disaster volunteers unite to provide aid and support to those in need. We find that there is a joy in having the ability to help someone in need. The joy and energy we experience when serving others drives our donors, staff and volunteers to deepen their loyalty to our movement.

The Bears will leave their sweat and blood on the field on Sunday. Are you ready for that kind of die-hard loyalty? Bear down, and become a volunteer.

By Erica Serna

It’s Just a Prick.

“An easy way to give back.”
“My dad did it regularly.”
“It saved my husbands life.”
“It saved my life.”

These are just a few of the reasons I heard at an American Red Cross blood drive on Northwestern’s medical school campus. These reasons were the motivation for several of the people I talked with about why they chose to donate blood. It was a bright, sunny afternoon with a slight brisk in the air. When walking up the building I wasn’t sure what to expect. I hadn’t really been to a blood drive before nor had I given blood myself. The nurses and staff were all very friendly and willing to talk to us.

Since the blood drive was taking place on Northwestern’s campus, it wasn’t a surprise that the majority of people were Northwestern med students taking an hour out of their busy school day to give back. When I started talking to another young man, who I assumed was a med student as well, he corrected me.

“It’s just this little thing I can do, you know? This little thing that can save someone’s life.” After talking further with him, I found out he had had two bad experiences with donating blood before this time. But for some reason, that didn’t stop him from doing it again today.

Another young woman who was a med student was volunteering to work the registration table. For her, donating blood was a family tradition. “I donate blood because my dad always did. So my sister and I have been doing it since we could. It just kind of seemed like the thing to do.”

But for some, it’s a little more personal. When talking to one of the nurses about how she got involved in the blood drive, she told us that a while back she was in an accident and needed 6 pints of blood. “If it wasn’t for blood donors, I wouldn’t be here today.” She is living proof of one little thing, can save someone’s life.

Donate blood. Save a life. It’s just a prick.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

On Sunday, I was waiting to watch the new episode of "Desperate Housewives." I happened to switch the channel over during the ending of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The preview for the next episode resonated with me since it featured blood drives done by the Red Cross.

For the March 22, 2009 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Ty Pennington and his team of home builders visit Tucson, Arizona. The team has decided to build a new house for the Bell family. One of the members of the Bell family is a 14-year-old girl, Lizzie, who requires blood transfusions in order to survive her life threatening blood disease. Lizzie and her family started the John P. Bell Foundation in order to raise awareness of the need for blood donations. Also, Lizzie won the Red Cross Hero Award for raising awareness of blood drives.

To learn more about "Extreme Makeover" and Lizzie, visit this website and be sure to catch Sunday's episode featuring the makeover of the Bell home. Can't watch the episode on Sunday? Visit the ABC site to watch the episode at a later time. There are Red Cross blood drives in the episode and you'll be able to see how easy and painless it is to donate blood and help someone in need!

To donate blood near you, visit Give Blood, Give Life.

Photo of Lizzie Bell courtesy of Extreme Makeover Tucson