Doctor's visit
An actor who is part of the wildly popular "Twilight" movies will visit the area tomorrow to draw attention to two truly worthy causes. Alex's Lemonade Stand, which raises money to fight childhood cancer, and the Community Blood Council of New Jersey welcome Peter Facinelli, better known as Dr. Carlisle Cullen of the vampire Cullens.
Organizers of the event at Quaker Bridge Mall see it as a way to involve young people in a very simple act with profound reverberations. Statistics show that most of us will need blood or blood products in our lifetime, yet less than 5 percent of the eligible population donate. Many members of that eligible population are fans of Mr. Facinelli and his work as the empathetic doctor.
They can emulate the good doctor's kindness with a donation. A single pint of blood can save the lives of three people. And a staggering 4.5 million Americans would die each year if it were not for blood donations.
Blood and platelets can be used for trauma victims -- those injured in accidents and fires -- heart surgery patients, organ transplant recipients, premature babies and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or other diseases, such as sickle cell disease.
After the tough winter, blood stores are depleted; snow and ice forced the cancellation of several blood drives. Yet the need for blood is continuous. Every two seconds, a patient in the United States needs a transfusion. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days and platelets just five days. They need constant replenishment.
The process itself is simple, a quick four steps that consist of taking a medical history, a mini-physical, donation and snacks. From start to finish, it involves about 45 minutes. After experiencing the easy and pain-free procedure, many donors make it a habit to give blood.
It's one of those things, those nagging things, we hear over and over and tend to tune out. Give blood. Eat your vegetables. Drive carefully. Wash your hands.
Yet, following that advice really does benefit us -- and others.
We've seen the immediate generosity of young people, how it helped power the massive relief efforts in Haiti and New Orleans. And we know young people in the Mercer area could make a serious dent in the annual need for approximately 38,000 units of blood for New Jersey residents who require transfusions.
Those wishing to donate blood should contact the Community Blood Council of New Jersey, (609) 883-9750, ext. 145, or visit givebloodnj.org. Donors will automatically be entered to win a private dinner later that evening with Mr. Facinelli, and the first 25 donors will receive an autographed T-shirt.
nj.com
xoxo
Carrie
0 comments:
Post a Comment