Carter Blood Center to hold seminar on South
By Tiffany Davis, south news editor

     Carter Blood Care will be on South Campus, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. to hold a seminar in the SUB Living Room.
     Flo Stanton, M.S., R.N., will be working all month to promote students to register for blood and marrow donations.
     Carter Blood Care is encouraging individuals to donate blood. The donated blood is used to help people who require blood transfusions.
     Donating blood helps to cure diseases and save lives of strangers and family members, Stanton said.
     According to information received from Carter Blood Care, nationally only about 5 percent of people who are eligible donate blood.
     This small percentage supports an entire population. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of the U.S. population will require a transfusion during their lifetime.
     In the DFW area 600 people must pledge to donate every day to meet the demand.
     Some people believe that one can contract AIDS from giving blood. That is not true; one can’t contract AIDS or any other diseases from giving blood, according to documents from the Carter Blood Care.
     It takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour for the entire donation process. This includes a mini physical, actual donation and a brief stay in our canteen for refreshments. Free T-shirts and cholesterol checks will be provided for donors.
     The average adult body contains approximately 10 to 12 pints of blood. The amount taken is less than a pint. A person’s body makes new blood constantly, and the volume someone gives will be replaced within hours.
     Eating a full meal and drinking beverages before and after donating blood will decrease the likelihood of a person’s feeling weak.
     Each day thousands of African Americans and other minorities face a frightening dilemma, according to information from the National Marrow Donor Program.
     Minorities often suffer from life-threatening diseases curable with a marrow transplant. Marrow is needed to cure diseases such as leukemia. Although people of all ages can develop leukemia, a matching donor can be hard to find. It is more likely for marrow recipients to locate a match within their own genetic background.
     “It is vital that African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities come out and register to donate marrow,” Stanton said.
     “Anyone can make a difference just by taking a simple blood test that determines tissue type,” Stanton said.
     Once a person donates, he or she has already made a difference in the lives of 3,000 patients who are searching through the list of donors at any given time.
     Donating blood has personal benefits since individuals receive mini-physicals to determine possible health problems in the early stages. Individuals also receive a donor recognition pin for gallon donations.
     For more information on the seminar, contact the South Campus student health center, 817-515-4531.