• Blood is made up of three main components: Red Cells, Plasma and Platelets

• Shelf Life of each component:

Red Cells  –   42 days
Platelets   –     5 days
Plasma     –     1 year

• White cells are the body’s primary defense against infection.

• Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along blood vessel walls in search of bacteria to eat.

• There are four main blood types: A, B, AB and O.

• Type O+ blood is the most common, most frequently used blood type.

• Type O- is the universal donor since most people can accept this type of blood regardless of their blood type.

• Type AB is the universal recipient, since people with this blood type can normally accept all blood types.

• 60% of the population is medically eligible to give blood, yet only 5% of the national population donates blood.

• If all blood donors gave 2 to 4 times a year, it would help prevent blood shortages.

• 4.5 million Americans would die each year without life saving blood transfusions

• Every three seconds someone needs blood.

• About three gallons of blood supports the entire nation’s blood needs for one minute.

• Car accident victims who have suffered massive blood loss can need transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells.

• The average bone marrow transplant requires 120 units of platelets and about 20 units of red blood cells.

• Severe burn victims can need about 20 units of platelets during their treatment.

• Children being treated for cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types.

• Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their iron levels.

• Cancer, transplant and trauma patients, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive.

• Some patients with complications from severe sickle cell disease, an inherited disease that affects more than 80,000 people in the United States (98% of whom are of African descent), receive blood transfusions every month - up to 4 pints at a time.