Have you ever considered the pride that comes from saving another person’s life? It’s really very simple to do. Just become a blood or platelet donor.

It takes only one hour of your time to help save up to three lives. That means you can take pride in knowing you may have helped a child with sickle cell anemia play with friends, a mother give birth to her child or a grandparent spend more time with loved ones. Take pride in yourself and in your community.

One first time donor explained it this way, “It was the right thing to do and it didn’t really hurt! Now, I don’t know why I waited so long. I’ll be back in 56 days. I feel like I’ve made a difference and in only an hour.”

If you are ready to become life-saving hero, here’s what you can expect:
After calling 1-800-Give Life and making an appointment OR making an appointment at through a blood drive near you, we recommend you be sure to appear at the appointed time. Be sure to bring a picture I.D. You will be asked to sign in and will be given a “blue book”, title “What you must know before donating.” Please be sure and read this book thoroughly. You may discover that you will need to postpone your first donation due to an area of travel or a particular medication.

Once you’ve completed the reading of this important information, please return it to the person you checked in with. You will be notified when the collection staff is ready for the next donor.

The next step in your life-saving adventure is the health history booth. The Red Cross wants to be very sure you are feeling well on the day of your donation. The staff will perform a mini-health exam. Included in this exam will be a check of your iron level, pulse, temperature and blood pressure.

You will then be asked a series of questions that will be very sure that you blood will truly save the life of the patient on the other end of your donation. Once all the testing and questions are correctly answered, you will move to a donation bed. The staff will have you verify your name and social security number. Your arm will then be prepared for the donation. At the moment the needle enters your arm, you should feel nothing more than a prick or pinch. The total donation time should take between 5-15 minutes.

After the donation, you will be asked to move to the canteen area where someone will give you cookies and something to drink. The Red Cross requests you sit in the canteen for 10 minutes.

You are now an official lifesaver...a hero that has saved the lives of up to three area patients!