Give the perfect gift, donate blood
The holidays are about memories, reliving old ones and making new. Exchanging gifts often is an important role in those memories – whether it is the latest gadget or a special treasure hunted down for a loved one.
But ask cancer survivors or trauma victims to describe their favorite gift, and many would say the perfect gift doesn’t come in a box. It’s a lifesaving blood donation.
Donating blood is giving the perfect gift – another hug, another laugh, another chance – to someone in need of blood.
The Red Cross encourages people to contact their nearest Red Cross blood drive or blood donation center. This gift will cost nothing but an hour of their time
Debra Deininger
Spokesperson, Arizona Blood Services Region, American Red Cross
Dale Whiting posted at 9:47 am on Fri, Dec 23, 2011.
Debra,
I'll second your motion that we all give blood.
But I do have one question and a suggestion to change policy. Why doesn't the Red Cross permit Gays and Lesbians to donate blood? Yes, I know some fear "aids." But "aids" is a condition not necessarily unique to Gays and Lesbians and far from all Gays and Lesbians have "aids." So why not just ask donors to declair their sexual orientation and partner history, and collect blood to be distributed after disclosing its origins? And how expensive is it to have frequent donors checked for "aids?"