Can you save a life?

There are many people who answer the call to help their fellow man. Every year, many high school students decide to pursue a career in the healthcare industry by either becoming an EMT, nurse, therapist, or doctor.

Not just anyone can go into the healthcare field. After being in the industry for several years, I have learned that it takes a special person to set aside their own troubles to help others.

Is there something that you can do to save a life?

You could take First Aid or CPR classes. You could learn how to operate an AED machine.

But there is another way. The only thing it costs is about an hour of your time. And you could actually help save three people, not just one.

You can do this by donating a pint of blood. The process takes about an hour from start to finish. The actual donation process takes between seven to 10 minutes.

Every two months, the Community Blood Center sets up shop in Foundation Hall at Green Hills Community. The process begins by arriving on time for your appointment. There is some paperwork to review before a nurse checks your vitals and takes a drop of blood to test your hemoglobin. If you pass those screenings then you are then lead to a cot where a nurse will talk you through the actual donation.

The nurses will never hurry you through the process. They treat you with respect and dignity and take their time to make sure that you are comfortable.

At the most recent blood drive, one young man signed up to donate blood with his mother. It was his first time and was a little nervous. All went well for him and he, along with his mother, was proud of his accomplishment.

“It feels pretty good to help save a life,” he said afterwards.

Can you save a life? Yes you can. In fact, you can help save up to three lives every eight weeks by donating just a pint of blood.

The next blood drive at Green Hills is from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 1. To make an appointment, you can go to www.donortime.com, call 1.800.388.GIVE, or call Rebecca at Green Hills at 937.650.7117 to make your appointment.

All donors will receive a meal after donating to make sure they replenish their body with lost fluids and regain blood sugar.

For more information about the donation process, go to www.givingblood.org.

We hope to see you in July!