Someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. Yet, blood donation centers are often begging individuals to fill donation time slots and offering incentives, such as Amazon or Chipotle gift cards, to further coax them.
Giving blood can be an intimidating process for those who have never done it before.
For this year’s World Blood Donor Day (June 14th), Kraus-Anderson employees Laurie Fronk and Laurisa Titterud detail their blood donation experiences in the hopes to ease nerves and encourage others to donate.
Where can I donate blood?
FRONK: There are a lot of places to donate blood. Some of the most popular or well-known are Red Cross and Memorial Blood Centers. I typed “places to donate blood near me” in Google and it provided a list of locations closest to both my house and workplace. Check with your employer to see if you can utilize work hours to donate (Kraus-Anderson employees, use your “KA Has Heart” time to go)!
If I have never donated blood before, how should I prepare?
TITTERUD: In addition to the basics of drinking lots of water and eating good meals prior to donating, mentally prepare yourself for some poking (a quick finger prick and the needle insertion) and seeing blood bags. It’s a little off-putting or strange at first but you get over it pretty quickly. The people who work at donation centers, in my experience, are extremely friendly and patient, especially if you’re vocal about being a little nervous.
Thank you ladies for donating and sharing your experience. I have been a donor for many years and I do my best to encourage others give their time as well.
Blood cannot be made- it MUST be given.