Why Should I Donate? | Facts About Giving Blood

- Volunteer blood donors are the only source of blood products for hospital patients.

- About 20 percent of the blood used in the United States is donated by students.

- One blood donor could save as many as three lives with a single donation.

- Each unit of blood is divided into its component parts: platelets, plasma and red cells.

- All donated blood is tested for transmitted diseases.

- You cannot contract the HIV virus or any other infectious disease by donating blood.

- Four million people need blood every year. That's one patient every 12 seconds.

- Patients in Michigan hospitals use about 2,000 units of blood products daily...that's about one unit every 43 seconds.

- The average blood transfusion is 3.4 units (or pints) of blood.

- The average adult has 10 to 12 units of blood in his or her body. A new baby has one cup.

- People are eligible to donate blood every eight weeks.

- Nearly 97 percent of the U.S. population will have received a blood transfusion by age 75, but only 5 percent of the population donates blood.

- Close to 22 percent of patients are over 65 years old. They use about 52 percent of the blood transfused.

- Patients who suffer from sickle cell anemia, cancer, heart disease, leukemia and other major illnesses may need blood transfusions to survive.

- Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, in good general health and weigh at least 110 pounds.