World Blood Donor Day Celebrates 20 Years of Life-Saving Donations
Did you know that June 14 is World Blood Donor Day? This global day was established over 20 years ago to honor the men and women worldwide who roll up their sleeves and do their part, ensuring blood is always available whenever needed.
Blood donors play an impactful role at Moffitt Cancer Center, as cancer patients are in constant need of blood. There are many reasons why they need blood, such as loss of blood during surgery, low blood count due to the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation or anemia, which can be caused by the disease itself. Patients with cancer in the blood and bone marrow, such as leukemia and lymphoma, also often need transfusions because the disease does not allow the body to produce normal blood-making cells.
The Importance of Donating Blood
As cancer care increases at Moffitt, so does the demand for blood and platelet donations.
Nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6,500 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S. An adequate amount of blood is needed in all health care facilities to meet the urgent need for patients facing trauma and other lifesaving procedures, including blood transfusions, which save millions of lives each year.
Since blood cannot be created in a laboratory and there are no substitutes, cancer patients depend solely on donations. A single unit of blood can be separated into different components such as red blood cells, plasma and platelets. One donor can help up to three patients.
“We urge everyone who can to donate on a recurring, regular basis. This helps ensure blood is there when patients need it at all times. Donating blood only takes a few minutes, and donors get the added benefit of regular, mini-health check-ups,” said Mandy O’Leary, MD, a blood bank and transfusion medicine specialist who is an associate member in the Pathology Department at Moffitt.
New Blood Donor Guidelines
In 2023, the FDA updated the guidelines for donating blood to help expand the donor pool. The guidelines became more inclusive for those in the LGBTQ+ community, allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood for the first time.
Changes were also made to the donor questionnaire, eliminating questions surrounding sexual orientation. Now, all potential donors are asked the same screening questions and are assessed for blood donation eligibility based on individual risk factors.
What You Can Do
Everyone can get involved and participate in World Blood Donor Day by doing the simple task of volunteering with your local blood bank, spreading the word on social media and encouraging friends and family to donate.
But the most important task is becoming a registered blood donor.
Donating blood is a simple procedure that can be done within an hour. To donate blood in your local community visit www.lifesouth.org or www.scbb.org.
