{"id":3480,"date":"2018-06-13T18:47:18","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T23:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=3480"},"modified":"2022-04-22T08:56:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T13:56:08","slug":"donating-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/donating-blood\/","title":{"rendered":"Donating blood: One easy trick to save three lives in an hour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saving lives isn\u2019t just for superheroes. If you ask Sylvia Eichelkraut, 78, of Ottawa, it\u2019s actually pretty easy. All you\u2019ve got to do is donate blood.<\/p>\n

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Give the gift of life<\/p>\n

Find a blood drive near you<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t really understand that donating blood actually saves three lives because they divide the blood,\u201d Sylvia said. \u201cIt usually takes only about an hour to donate. It\u2019s such an easy thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvia has led the blood drive efforts at OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center<\/a> since 2001, after serving for years as a volunteer.<\/p>\n

She practiced what she preaches, too, as long as she could. She gave blood regularly until last year, when she developed anemia at the age of 77, making her ineligible to donate. Her husband donated regularly until he was 85.<\/p>\n

At the time she took over, the blood drives had been happening twice a year and collecting about 80 units \u2013 or pints \u2013 of blood each time. The efforts have grown since then. OSF Saint Elizabeth now hosts four blood drives every year<\/a>, often bringing in up to 150 units per drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just such an easy way to save lives in an hour\u2019s time,\u201d Sylvia said. \u201cIt typically doesn’t hurt and you\u2019re saving lives. And it\u2019s so important. They can\u2019t produce blood any other way. They can\u2019t make it in a lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvia\u2019s proud of the volunteers who put in the time to put up posters and make phone calls to spread the word about the blood drives, and she hopes the group of volunteers and donors continues to grow. After all, medical centers rely on access to a ready supply of blood every day. It\u2019s essential for things like surgeries, cancer treatment and traumatic injuries. And the need for blood is growing.<\/p>\n

Know the facts, find a drive and donate<\/h2>\n

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Blood donation helps thousands of people with medical conditions in the U.S. every day. The need for blood for transfusions is significant and the figures are eye-opening.<\/p>\n