People donate blood, primarily, to help others who need blood transfusions, such as those recovering from accidents, undergoing surgery, or battling diseases like cancer. Donating blood is a selfless act that, literally, saves lives, and many donors also find it fulfilling and beneficial to their own mental and physical wellbeing.

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, which is essential to help patients survive surgeries, undergo cancer treatments, survive chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. This lifesaving care starts with one person making a blood donation. The need for blood is constant, but only about 3% of age-eligible people donate blood annually -- only 3%. When did you last donate blood?

The One Blood buses come to Okeechobee frequently. You can get on a comfortable air conditioned bus, relax, even snooze, and, when done, you will experience that inner pride that you have just saved someone’s life. You might even want to experience your donation via a special machine which allows you to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation, while also returning your plasma and platelets to yourself.

I found a donation testimony online from a woman in New Jersey, N.J. Here’s her “reason” to donate blood.

She said: "In 1988, I gave birth to my first child. It was then that I found out my blood type. I found out that by having O negative blood I would be able to donate blood to any blood type. I wanted to know all I could about my blood type, who, and how it could help. I had heard about sickle cell anemia as a child. Two of my friends had it, but I didn’t know about the blood transfusions they had to receive periodically. Sickle cell disease can be extremely painful. Now I donate my blood to help children with that disease."

On Another on-line post I read another message saying: On March 4, 2018, my husband suffered a devastating brain aneurysm. He was given at least three pints of blood and it helped save his life that night. A brain aneurysm is a bulge or 'ballooning' in the wall of a blood vessel in the brain, which is often caused by a weakness in the vessel wall. These bulges can be small and asymptomatic, but if they rupture or put pressure on nearby nerves, they can cause a serious neurological problem or even be life threatening. We will never know who donated that blood. My husband is alive because of someone’s blood donation. I had been a regular donor prior to his ruptured aneurysm, but vowed that night that I would try to give every three months, if my body permits it. I am faithful in donating and want to help others the way my husband was helped. That was truly a gift and I thank God every day for the donors who contributed their blood to help save my husband’s life."

Raye Deusinger is a volunteer for One Blood.