As you begin to recover from the holiday hustle and bustle that December brought, the idea of getting stuck with an IV is probably not at the top of your January to-do list, right? Out of all the times of the year, now marks the season where blood donations drop to their lowest amount, which is why January is being recognized as National Blood Donor Month. We at Any Lab Test Now® encourage you to fight the urge of staying inside and find your local donation center to give the gift of life! Take a look at these quick facts to help you understand the need for blood donations, how it works, and how you can help.

The Need:

  • Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs some sort of blood transfusion.

  • One unit of blood can support up to three lives.

  • Each year, 4.5 million Americans would die without blood transfusions.

  • If compatible blood is not available to support a transplant, a patient could be forced to pass up a lifesaving organ.

How It Works:

  • Donating blood involves four easy steps: a medical history review, a quick physical, blood donation and snacks.

  • The actual blood donation part only takes around 10 minutes. The entire process from the time you sign in to the time you leave takes only an hour.

  • After donating blood, you replace the fluid in hours and red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.

  • You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious diseases by donating and your strength will not decrease.

How You Can Help:

  • Find a blood drive being hosted in your community and go donate!

  • Register to host your own blood drive at your local school or place of work.

  • Volunteer your time with your neighborhood’s American Red Cross center.