Blood drive set for Tuesday
The Cottonwood Blood Drive is scheduled for April 16, 2024 at the Cottonwood Community Hall from 12:00 am to 6:00 pm. (please note that we are back to our original location). An appointment can be made by either going online at www.vitalant.org or by calling Brenda Kaschmitter at 962-2112.
Giving blood is a great way to support the community by helping to ensure that a stable inventory is available for premature babies, cancer patients, or the many people who are involved in accidents or who suffer from illnesses which may require transfusions.  Blood has a shelf life of only 42 days, and therefore, must continually be replenished.  Donors can give blood every 56 days, or up to six times a year.
This year, you can make a difference.  All it takes is your willingness to help someone in need and a pint of your blood.  Any healthy person age 17 (or age 16 with a signed parental consent) or older and weighing at least 110 pounds may be eligible to donate blood.  Valid identification is required for all blood donations. 

57 things you may not know about blood
More than 4.5 million patient need blood transfusions each year in the US and Canada.
43,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the US and Canada.
Someone needs blood every 2 seconds.
37% of the US population is eligible to donate blood and less than 10% do annually.
About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.
One pint of blood can save up to 3 lives.
Healthy adults who are at least 17 years old, and at least 110 pounds may donate a pin of blood (the most common form of donation) every 56 days, or every 2 months. Females receive 53% of blood transfusions; males receive 47%.
94% of blood donors are registered voters.
There are 4 main blood cell types: A, B, AB and O. Each one cane be positive or negative for Rh factor. AB is the universal recipient; O negative is the universal donor of red blood cells.
Dr. Karl Landsteiner first identified the major human blood groups- A, B, AB and O in 1901.
On unit of blood can be separated into several components: red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate.
Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues.
Red Blood cell live about 120 day in the circulatory system.
Platelets promote blood clotting and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins and salts.
Plasma, which is 90% water, makes up 55% of blood volume.
Health bone marrow makes a constant supply of red blood cells, plasma and platelets.
Blood or plasma that comes from people who have been paid for it cannot be used for human transfusion.
Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along blood vessel walls in search of bacteria to engulf and destroy.
White cells are the body’s primary defense against infection.
Apheresis is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets.
42 days is how long most donated red blood cells can be stored.
5 days is how long most donated platelets can be stored.
One year is how long frozen plasma can be stored.
Much of today’s medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from health donors.
2.7 pints is the average whole blood and red blood cell transfusion.
Children being treated for cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types, especially type O.
Anemic patients need blood transfusion to increase their red blood cell levels.
Cancer, transplant and trauma patients, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery may require platelet transfusions to survive.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease that affect more than 80,000 people in the US, 98% of whom are if African descent.
Many patient with sever sickle cell disease receive blood transfusions ever month.
A patient could be forced to pass up a lifesaving organ, if compatible blood is not available to support the transplant.
Thirteen tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.
17% of non-donors cite “never thought of it” as main reason for not giving, while 15% say they are too busy.
The #1 reason donors say they give is because they “want to help others”.
Shortages of blood types happen during the summer and winter holidays.
Blood centers often run short of types O and B red blood cells.
The rarest blood type is the one not on the shelf when it is needed by a patient.
There is no substitute for human blood.
If all blood donors gave 3 times a year blood shortage would be a rare event (the current average is about 2 times a year).
If only 1 more percent of all Americans would give blood, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.
46.5 gallons is the amount of blood that you could donate if you begin at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach 79 years old.
There are 4 easy steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and snacks.
The actual blood donation usually takes about 10 minutes. The entire process from the time you sign in to the time you leave is about 1 hour.
After donating blood you replace the fluid in hour and the red blood cells within 4 week. It takes 8 weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.
You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
10 pints is the amount of blood in the body of an average adult.
One unit of whole blood is roughly the equivalent of one pint.
Blood makes up about 7% of your body’s weight.
A newborn baby has about 1 cup of blood in its body.
Giving blood will not decrease your strength.
Any company, community organization, place of worship or individual may host a blood drive.
Blood drives hosted by companies, schools, places of worship and civic organizations supply roughly half of all blood donations across the US.
People who donate blood are volunteers and are not paid for their donation.
500,000 is the number of Americans that donated blood in the days following the September 11 attacks.
We (Cottonwood Community Blood drive) always have maple bars for you when you come in to donate.
Blood donation: It’s about an hour of your time: It’s About Life!