The United States is in constant need of blood transfusions. Every two seconds someone needs a blood transfusion. This blood can only come from those people willing to donate their own. Our bodies contain between ten and twelve pints of blood. One pint of blood is given during the donation process. The plasma from a blood donation is replenished by the body in twenty-four hours. The entire set of red blood cells can take up to eight weeks to replace. This is why donors must wait at least eight weeks before donating again.

The Lansing Blood Donation Center in Lansing, Michigan, held a blood drive on Friday, November 8, 2013. Appointments and walk-ins were welcome until 1:45 in the afternoon. Several people came in throughout the day to donate blood. Two friends, Pat Brown, Charlotte, Mich., and Erin Spenski, Dewitt, Mich., came together on their lunch break from work. Brown says that, “You get proud that you’ve done so many gallons.” Spenski was in a car accident, where she needed blood. That is just one of the reasons that she donates. She says, “There is a shortage of blood and I think it’s a good thing people donate when they can.” 

Not everyone is eligible to donate blood. The Red Cross says that only thirty-eight percent of the population is eligible. This could have to do with age, weight, and medical background. The nurses test you blood prior to donating. They also ask an extensive amount of questions to make sure it is safe to donate. Donors must be 110 pounds to safely donate.

The Red Cross is constantly putting on blood drives all over the country, where people can donate their blood to those in need, if they qualify. People interested can go to RedCrossBlood.org to receive more information and for blood drives going on in their area.