The Flow of Life essays

The Flow of Life essays Imagine a young girl is injured in a car accident and her mother dies instantly. The young girl is still alive but she needs to have a blood transfusion within minutes in order to save her life. The only problem is that the nearest hospital does not have enough blood reserves and the next closest hospital is too far away. This situation may sound farfetched but it could actually happen to anybody. According to Carolyn Gard, a writer for Current Health 2, ninety-seven percent of the people in the United States will receive blood at some point in their lives (Gard 28). A serious problem that Americans face today is the shortage of a reserve blood supply for emergency situations. Unfortunately, fewer than 5 percent of people who are eligible to donate blood actually take the time to do it (Feiman 17). People have many common misconceptions which lead them to refuse donating blood. Many people do not believe that their donation will make a difference. Also, many believe that donating blood carries certain risks, such as contracting AIDS and other diseases. Others are scared that the procedure of donating blood is painful. People who are eligible to donate blood should do so because the process is risk free, virtually painless and can help save lives. Eligibility differs from state to state, but most states allow you to donate blood if you are 18 years of age or older and weigh at least 105 pounds (Dinsmoor 23). One of the misconceptions that keeps those who are eligible from donating is the belief that their donation is not important. This misconception is very untrue. For instance, students at Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York, turned their gym into a blood donating center. The students collected 100 pints of blood which can be used to save as many as 500 lives (Feiman 17). Each person who is eligible to donate blood has the opportunity to make a big difference and save lives. Another ...