Liquid of life

Stuck in the middle - Canadian Blood Services needs your help. The blood inventory has gone down 40 per cent over the past two months, and if people do not step in to fill the demand, emergency procedures may have to be postponed.

In the face of a serious shortage, Canadian Blood Services has rationed the amount of blood it supplies to hospitals.

While one in every two Canadians can give blood, the federal agency said only one in 60 actually do so. They need 90,000 donors a month to keep up with demand.

If you've never had to receive a blood donation, chances are someone you know has received one. Thousands of Canadians have depended on the kindness of strangers to make life-saving surgeries possible.

The age limits for donation are a minimum of 17 years of age and a maximum of 71. The individual has to be at least 110 pounds, and must wait at least 56 days between each donation.

A donation takes about an hour, but can ensure someone lives a whole and happy life.

Blood transfusions aren't just given to surgery patients. Accident victims, haemophiliacs, and people with gunshot wounds desperately need blood to stay alive.

Some say if blood is so essential, the government should pay people for their donation. But according to the World Health Organization (WHO), people who donate blood to make money are more likely to lie about their past to be able to donate. The WHO is making it a goal to have their blood supplied totally by unpaid volunteers.

Some people may be afraid to give blood, or a little squeamish about the idea of having blood taken from their bodies, but the process is a safe and painless one. Donors might feel a little lightheaded afterwards, but the feeling usually passes quickly.

The typical donation is 500 millilitres of blood, and the average of adult has five litres of blood in their system at any one time.

Busy schedules can keep some from visiting a donation clinic, but sacrificing a lunch break to help someone live is a lunch break well spent. Giving blood could be the most important thing you do that day.

We rely on volunteerism for many things, and giving blood is no different. At first, it seems unreasonable to expect strangers to provide something as precious as blood for no fee at all. But giving provides someone with the satisfaction of knowing they've unselfishly made life a little easier for someone they've never met. It can be a source of pride and the path to a more fulfilling life.

It can't be said that one should give all their time and, in this case, blood to others. Not everyone can be Mother Theresa, nor should they be. If we all gave selflessly there would be nothing left for ourselves. But in cases like blood donation, where the benefit of giving is so great compared to the time and effort we have to put in, it's surprising, and a little shameful, that only one in 60 eligible donors give blood.

We can't do much about how much our government wants to spend on health care, but we can do a great deal of good by taking the time to visit a donor clinic, and rolling up our sleeve for someone awaiting surgery, or someone in a car accident.

"It's in you to give" is the motto of Canadian Blood Services, and it's a very accurate statement. We don't have to look to far away to see how much people can do for complete strangers without any reimbursement at all.

We've all got some blood to spare, so let's go out and improve the chances of survival for people we've never met. We are all someone's son, daughter, sister, or brother.