Trending
Summer has long been considered the season for fun. The sun is out, and school is out. It's the season to get outside and play or take the family on the great American road trip.
But summer is also a season when there are historically a lot of injuries and accidents. Some in the health care profession even refer to summer as trauma season.
When hospitals have to take care of more people who are seriously hurt, they need donated blood. Plus hospitals still have other patients who require blood.
The problem is, blood donations often taper off during the summer as people go on vacation.
Blood donations are definitely needed at this time of year.
Now, the idea of getting poked with a big needle and having some of your blood siphoned out is not at all a pleasant one.
However, people who are brave enough to get jabbed and allow some of their blood to be drawn out are a type of hero commonly called a blood donor. They save a lot of lives.
Donating blood takes about an hour, according to leaders of LifeServe Blood Center, which has a facility in Fort Dodge. In that hour, a blood donor can save three local lives, they say.
Blood and blood products are needed by trauma patients, premature infants, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and people suffering from all kinds of other conditions. And when those patients need blood, they need it right away. That's why a good supply of blood is key for the state and nation.
That blood comes from donations. Now is the time for more people to roll up their sleeves and join the ranks of blood donor heroes.
We encourage anyone who is healthy and meets the criteria for donating blood to consider doing so.
For more information on donating blood or to schedule an appointment to donate at a different day and time, visit www.lifeservebloodcenter.org or call 1-800-287-4903.