Editorial: Blood is life
Issue date: 9/23/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
9/23/09 - Everyday car accidents, household injuries or organ transplants leave Americans in desperate need of blood. University of Rhode Island students, almost cocooned in their safe, campus community of dormitories and academic buildings, may feel a disconnect from the "outside world" of school busses, 9-5 workdays and town council meetings. The truth of the matter is, just because life-threatening incidents are sparse at URI, the need for blood is a very serious, and a very real matter.
The Rhode Island Blood Center comes to campus to collect blood from students four times a year. Shortly before donation dates, fliers and signs are posted around university grounds and that familiar banner is donned across Upper College Road. These signs are so common that perhaps the message that it's donation time again does not register with some.
For others, the idea of free pizza is all the enticement needed to part with a pint.
But for a select few, just knowing that their blood can save someone's life warrants the effort to endure the finger prick, the waiting in line and the process of having one's blood collected into those plastic bags that spend little to no time in storage before being pumped into a needy recipient.
The thought that just an hour of one's time can save someone else's life is a powerful notion. Because the majority of donors will never know whom they are helping, giving blood is a particularly selfless act. On any given day, it's quite possible that a donor has interacted with the person who received their blood.
Not all students will meet the recommended requirements to give blood. There are strict standards when it comes to weight and physical health. Along with that comes the risk of lightheadedness or fainting. For some, it's only the sight of a needle and a bag of blood that causes queasiness. But those who are healthy are encouraged to help their neighbors. As Jennifer Siegel, an RIBC account manager and URI alumna said, just a tablespoon of blood can save an infant. A pint, the standard donation amount, can save three lives, according to RIBC.
Due to the unpredictable nature of injuries or circumstances that require blood donations, students never know when their lives may depend on someone else's donation. RIBC said that 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate, yet only 5 percent do. The more people who donate, the more lives that can be saved - for those hesitant to donate, let this be a contributing factor to the final decision.
RIBC will be collecting donations through Friday in the Memorial Union Atrium.
The Rhode Island Blood Center comes to campus to collect blood from students four times a year. Shortly before donation dates, fliers and signs are posted around university grounds and that familiar banner is donned across Upper College Road. These signs are so common that perhaps the message that it's donation time again does not register with some.
For others, the idea of free pizza is all the enticement needed to part with a pint.
But for a select few, just knowing that their blood can save someone's life warrants the effort to endure the finger prick, the waiting in line and the process of having one's blood collected into those plastic bags that spend little to no time in storage before being pumped into a needy recipient.
The thought that just an hour of one's time can save someone else's life is a powerful notion. Because the majority of donors will never know whom they are helping, giving blood is a particularly selfless act. On any given day, it's quite possible that a donor has interacted with the person who received their blood.
Not all students will meet the recommended requirements to give blood. There are strict standards when it comes to weight and physical health. Along with that comes the risk of lightheadedness or fainting. For some, it's only the sight of a needle and a bag of blood that causes queasiness. But those who are healthy are encouraged to help their neighbors. As Jennifer Siegel, an RIBC account manager and URI alumna said, just a tablespoon of blood can save an infant. A pint, the standard donation amount, can save three lives, according to RIBC.
Due to the unpredictable nature of injuries or circumstances that require blood donations, students never know when their lives may depend on someone else's donation. RIBC said that 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate, yet only 5 percent do. The more people who donate, the more lives that can be saved - for those hesitant to donate, let this be a contributing factor to the final decision.
RIBC will be collecting donations through Friday in the Memorial Union Atrium.
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