Payson South Stake Holding Red Cross Blood Drive Friday

By Steve Southwick

According to the American Red Cross, blood cannot be manufactured---it can only come from generous donors. 

And Americans are generous---every year 9.5 million people donate 16 million times.

Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood; the average red blood cell transfusion is approximately three pints. 

Payson South Stake is holding a Red Cross blood drive this Friday, May 6, 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, at the LDS stake center at 711 South 600 East.  

    

Local Red Cross officials say your one donation can save three lives.  The blood helps patients needing cancer therapies, open heart surgery, trauma victims, anemia patients, at risk newborns, and many others.  

Recent Utah legislation allows for 16 and 17 year olds to give blood with parental permission.  

Red Cross staff recommends donors eat a good meal and drink water prior to donating…which takes about 45 minutes.  A period of 56 days must have lapsed since your last donation; you must weigh at least 110 pounds. 

The average adult has about 10 pints of blood in his body.  Roughly one pint is given during a donation. 

The Red Cross says if you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1000 lives.  

 Walk-ins are welcome.   However, for scheduling it would be helpful to call in advance, Steve Southwick (801) 822 1705.