Fun Facts About Blood

Okay, so most of these “Fun Facts” really aren’t all that fun; they’re actually quite serious. Nevertheless, they’re pretty interesting, and maybe even a little mind-blowing:

  • Nationally, more than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
  • The number of patients who receive blood in the U.S. in a year: 5 million (2006).
  • More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
  • A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

Blood cannot be manufactured – it can only come from generous donors. Only 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood, and of those, only 8% actually do. That amounts to about 3 out of every 100 people. Are you eligible? Can you help?To make a blood donation appointment, please call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org.