Spring blood drive runs April 14, 15 and 16

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion.

Bloodworks Northwest, formerly called the Puget Sound Blood Center, will be returning to Western Washington University for the spring quarter blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 14, 15 and 16.

An estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than 10 percent actually do each year. The success of the quarterly campus blood drive ranks Western as one of the largest donor groups in the Puget Sound region. So far this year, the WWU Blood Drive registered 452 donors in the fall and 392 donors in the winter.

Each donor can help save the lives of as many as three patients with only one pint of blood. Nearly 900 people a day must donate through Bloodworks Northwest centers to meet the needs of local patients alone.

Blood donations are critical for people of all ages and help trauma victims, cancer patients and patients with other life-threatening illnesses. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood. Millions of people are diagnosed with cancer every year, and many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during chemotherapy treatments.

A patient could be forced to pass up a life-saving organ if compatible blood is not available to support the transplant. If just one percent more of the U.S. population donated blood, blood supply shortages would disappear in the foreseeable future.

The WWU Blood Drive allows students and faculty to save the lives of people they have never even met. If you began donating blood at age 18 and donated every 56 days until you reached age 77, you would have potentially helped save more than 1,000 lives.

To donate, stop by the mobile center in Red Square near the Humanities Building or visit Viking Union 565. Donating is a safe and easy process and the donor’s body immediately begins to replace the donated blood cells.

Eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of fluids prior to donating. Free juice and cookies are offered following donation. New and returning donors are welcome and all are encouraged to bring friends along. To avoid a line, come on the first day or early in the morning.

Donors must present identification and be at least 18 years old and weigh 110 pounds. There is no wait to donate after a tattoo if it was acquired at a licensed facility in Washington, Oregon, California or Idaho. For a complete list of health restrictions, visit Bloodworks Northwest’s website.

Bloodworks Northwest is an independent, volunteer-supported, nonprofit community resource that provides blood, tissue and specialized laboratory services for patients across the Northwest.

For more information on the WWU Blood Drive, please contact Catharine Vader at 360-650-7557.