Saturday, June 13, 2009

TheTVObserver: Give Blood & Save Lives


We get a lot of requests to support various initiatives and we have to always choose carefully the ones we believe in, and World Blood Donor Day is one such cause. Through this initiative, you are able to understand the importance of blood and how critical it is for everyone who is healthy to take time to give blood. It is truly your gift of life to another.

World Blood Donor Day is day dedicated to "thanking and celebrating voluntary non-remunerated blood donors". It occurs on June 14, the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the creator of the ABO blood group system, for which he won the Nobel Prize.

If you have not been on the receiving end of the pain of a hospital running out of blood when you really need a transfusion, you can make as many negative opinions and comments as you like. You can even go the racist route, but the day you or any of your children are faced with this life giving need. You will realize how important it is to give blood, especially when certain circumstances may prevent your immediate family from giving.

Some people do not have family and in certain cases there is no time to call family to ask them to donate. Certain emergencies require immediate transfusions. This cause aims to raise awareness of the need for safe blood, to thank and honour those blood donors who make transfusion possible and to encourage regular blood donation by suitable donors.

Millions of people around the world owe their lives to individuals they will never meet – people who donate their blood to help others. But millions more still can’t get safe blood when they need it. Whilst good donors are sometimes faced with the reality of their donations being found in garbage bags due to their sexual orientation or lifestyle, despite the fact that their blood is safe. One would assume that the blood donor clinic or system is designed to ensure all those who give blood are tested to ensure that unsafe blood is not stored and used on patients.

What is more important is for you to give blood. Here are some other causes which you may find useful and may encourage you to donate your blood.

Leukaemia Research
Devoted exclusively to leukaemia, the lymphomas, myeloma, aplastic anaemia, myelodysplasia, the myeloproliferative disorders and the related blood disorders in both children and adults. Supporting doctors and scientists at hospitals and academic institutions throughout the UK, Leukaemia Research funds a wide range of projects, from basic laboratory research to clinical trials with patients.

Celebrity supporter: Ronan Keating

Valerie Fund
The Valerie Fund is an organization that provides support and treatment for children who suffer from cancer and blood disorders. It was established in 1976 by Ed and Sue Goldstein in memory of their 9-year-old daughter.

Celebrity supporter: Jon Bon Jovi

The Heart Truth
The Heart Truth is an awareness campaign created by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. It is designed to warn women about their number one health risk, heart disease, and the need to take action against its risk factors.

Celebrity supporter: Heidi Klum

The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wakeup call to American women. The Red Dress reminds women of the need to protect their heart health and inspires them to take action

Celebrity supporter: Heidi Klum

Take time to give blood…… YOU WILL BE SAVING A LIFE!

Related Links
TheTVObserver: Causes

By TheTVObserver

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