According to the American Red Cross, someone in the US needs blood every two seconds. Every two seconds. A single donation can save up to three lives, because they split it into different parts for different patients. The only source is people who are willing to donate.
That’s why shortages are such a problem. About 62% of people are actually eligible to donate, but only around 3% do. So a very small percentage of the population is keeping the whole supply going. And the need is constant: about 16 million blood components get transfused every year, and a single car-crash victim can need as many as 100 units.
Volunteering on a hospital floor at Orlando Health made this hit different for me. You see real patients, and you realize the blood they need came from a stranger who decided to show up. That stranger never met them and saved them anyway. That’s very impressive when think about it.
Depending on the state and your age, you can often start donating at 16 or 17 with a parent’s permission, which means this is one of the first real, grown-up ways a teenager can help. It’s renewable, it’s free to give, and only humans can make it. Hard to think of an easier way to matter.
The Global Pulse 