Cleary University will host a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at Cleary Commons, located at 3750 Cleary Drive in Howell (off Grand River Avenue, west of Latson Roads). All donors will receive a $10 gift card and a T-shirt, along with entry into a drawing for free Cleary merchandise. To donate, sign up at: donate.michigan.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/149337 or call (866) 642-5663.
Here are a few facts that may help in your decision to donate blood:
· More than 4.5 million patients in the US and Canada would die each year without lifesaving blood transfusions.
· Someone needs blood every 2 seconds.
· Every day in the US, 29,000 units of red blood cells are required in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities.
· On an average, one in seven people entering a hospital will need blood.
· Just one blood donation can save up to three lives.
· A single car accident victim may need as much as 100 units of blood.
· By the age of 72, more than 75 percent of Americans will need donated blood.
You can save a life by donating blood. It is a safe, fast and easy process. The blood collection takes about 10 minutes. Allow for about one hour for the entire process.
Donors must:
· be at least 16 years old
· weigh at least 110 pounds
· not have any mild illness (eg cold, flu)
· not have unmedicated diabetes, anemia or high blood pressure
You can donate whole blood every 56 days (eight weeks). This gives the body time to replenish lost blood.
Versiti Blood Center of Michigan sponsors the blood drive at Cleary University. The blood center has provided blood products and services to patients since 1955. It collects more than 120,000 units of blood annually and has a nationally recognized stem cell program.
