How much can a few minutes of your time really mean? Well obviously, it depends on what you’re doing! And if those few minutes of your time are spent donating blood, that time could mean more than you’ll ever realize. Let’s take a look at someone who directly felt the generosity of blood donors.

As reported by NBC, Tara Henderson woke up in the middle of the night, 3 days after a successful C-section for the birth of her second child, hemorrhaging. The blood loss had become so great by the time she reached the ER that a blood transfusion had to be immediately started. Prior to the blood transfusion, Henderson had lost nearly half of the blood in her body. In all, Henderson received 6 units of blood, the equivalent to 6 blood donors giving up a few minutes of their time to donate a pint of blood. 2 years later, healthy and happy Henderson reflects upon the memory saying, “The experience has definitely changed me. I had given blood in the past, but honestly, it made me feel sick. Plus, I hate needles. But now I think of it as, you sacrifice five minutes of time, feel the pinch of a needle, and you can save a life.”

If that wasn’t enough to convince you to look into donating blood, here’s some fast facts about donating blood, as reported from Blood Centers of the Pacific:

1. A patient could be forced to pass up a lifesaving organ, if compatible blood is not available to support the transplant.
2. The actual blood donations usually takes about ten minutes.
3. Someone needs blood every two seconds.
4. More than 4.5 million patients need blood transfusions each year in the U.S. and Canada.
5. There is no substitute for human blood.
6. If only one more percent of all Americans would give blood, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.
7. The #1 reason blood donors say they give is because they “want to help others.”
8. Four easy steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and free snacks.
9. About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.
10. One pint of blood, the amount of blood taken from blood donors, can save up to three lives.

And of course, you can always find your own reason to donate blood! For example, Tori Leatherman (12) is donating blood because, “I want to know my blood type.” Or take some advice from Bruno Pita (12) who reasons his generosity with, “Because I have too much blood in me; I thought: why not share?”

Mustangs, if you are sixteen or older, now is the time to show your Thanksgiving spirit by giving back on November 25th at Black Gold Golf Club. YLHS Red Cross Club will be hosting a blood drive from 12 to 6:15 PM and to ensure you’ll get to be a part of this amazing event, come on out to the center of the quad during lunch Tuesdays or Thursdays to sign up. Who knows? YOU could be the reason why someone’s heart keeps on beating.