Donate Blood? Not on Your Life, or Maybe For It
I was really disappointed when I went to give blood for a bone marrow drive this summer and was turned away because I'd had radiation therapy for breast cancer. I'd never given blood and I thought it was time. I have friends who give it all the time. But they're actually quite rare. Do you know what percentage of people who are eligible donate blood? Three percent. That's right. Barely anyone. The Mayo Clinic recently did a study to find out why, and it's not really a big surprise. Fear and anxiety, it turns out, according to newswise.com. But there are those who can be depended on to donate, sometimes more than they should. U.S. hospitals are always in need of new donors. "At Mayo Clinic, that need is heightened by concern about iron deficiency in frequent givers," newswise.com reports. Mayo recently began requiring people to wait 12 weeks rather than eight between donations, a change that means an estimated 10 percent drop in ...