Myths vs Facts
āĻā§āϞ āϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāĻž āĻŦāύāĻžāĻŽ āϏāĻ āĻŋāĻ āϤāĻĨā§āϝ
Misinformation costs lives. Let's separate the facts from the fiction and uncover the truth behind blood donation.
āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύ āύāĻŋā§ā§ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āϰ āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻ
āύā§āĻ āĻā§āϞ āϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāĻž āϰā§ā§āĻā§āĨ¤ āĻāϞā§āύ āĻā§ āĻāĻžāĻāĻŋā§ā§ āϏāĻ āĻŋāĻ āϤāĻĨā§āϝāĻā§āϞ⧠āĻā§āύ⧠āύāĻŋāĻāĨ¤
Busting Common Blood Donation Myths
"Donating blood is extremely painful."
"āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύ āĻāϰāĻž āĻā§āĻŦ āϝāύā§āϤā§āϰāĻŖāĻžāĻĻāĻžāϝāĻŧāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻāώā§āĻāĻāϰāĨ¤"
The only pain you will feel is a quick, mild pinch when the needle is first inserted. After that initial moment, the actual donation process is completely painless.
āĻļā§āϧā§āĻŽāĻžāϤā§āϰ āϏā§āĻ āĻĢā§āĻāĻžāύā§āϰ āϏāĻŽā§ āϏāĻžāĻŽāĻžāύā§āϝ āĻāĻāĻā§ āĻŦā§āϝāĻĨāĻž āϞāĻžāĻāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āĨ¤ āĻāϰāĻĒāϰ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ āĻĒā§āϰāĻā§āϰāĻŋā§āĻžāĻāĻŋ āĻŦā§āϝāĻĨāĻžāĻŽā§āĻā§āϤ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻāϰāĻžāĻŽāĻĻāĻžā§āĻāĨ¤
"I will feel weak, tired, and sick for days after donating."
"āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύā§āϰ āĻĒāϰ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ āύā§āĻ āĻĻāĻŋāύ āĻĻā§āϰā§āĻŦāϞ āĻ āĻ āϏā§āϏā§āĻĨ āĻŦā§āϧ āĻāϰāĻŦāĨ¤"
Most donors feel completely normal immediately after donating. Your body replaces the donated fluids within 24 hours. Just stay hydrated and eat well.
āĻ āϧāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻāĻļ āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāϤāĻž āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύā§āϰ āĻĒāϰ āĻāĻāĻĻāĻŽ āϏā§āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāĻ āĻŦā§āϧ āĻāϰā§āύāĨ¤ āĻĒāϰā§āϝāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻāϞ āĻĒāĻžāύ āĻāϰāϞ⧠āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻāĻžāĻŦāĻžāϰ āĻā§āϞ⧠⧍ā§Ē āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻžāϰ āĻŽāϧā§āϝā§āĻ āĻļāϰā§āϰ āĻšāĻžāϰāĻžāύ⧠āϤāϰāϞ āĻĒā§āϰāĻŖ āĻāϰ⧠āύā§ā§āĨ¤
"You can catch an infection or disease like HIV by donating."
"āϰāĻā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāϞ⧠āĻāĻāĻāĻāĻāĻāĻŋ (HIV) āĻŦāĻž āĻ āύā§āϝ āĻā§āύ⧠āϏāĻāĻā§āϰāĻŽāĻŖ āĻšāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āĨ¤"
This is entirely false. A sterile, brand-new disposable needle is used for every single donation and is immediately discarded afterward.
āĻāĻāĻŋ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ āĻā§āϞ āϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāĻžāĨ¤ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāĻŦāĻžāϰ āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύā§āϰ āϏāĻŽā§ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ āύāϤā§āύ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻā§āĻŦāĻžāĻŖā§āĻŽā§āĻā§āϤ āϏā§āĻ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻāϰāĻž āĻšā§, āϤāĻžāĻ āϏāĻāĻā§āϰāĻŽāĻŖ āĻšāĻā§āĻžāϰ āĻā§āύ⧠āϏā§āϝā§āĻ āύā§āĻāĨ¤
"I have a tattoo or piercing, so I can never donate blood."
"āĻāĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻļāϰā§āϰ⧠āĻā§āϝāĻžāĻā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻĒāĻŋā§āĻžāϰā§āϏāĻŋāĻ āĻāĻā§, āϤāĻžāĻ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāϰ āĻāĻāύ⧠āϰāĻā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰāĻŦ āύāĻžāĨ¤"
You are still eligible! You only need to wait 6 to 12 months after getting a tattoo or piercing. After the waiting period, you can donate safely.
āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ āĻŦāĻļā§āϝāĻ āϰāĻā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰāĻŦā§āύ! āĻā§āϝāĻžāĻā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻĒāĻŋā§āĻžāϰā§āϏāĻŋāĻ āĻāϰāĻžāϰ āĻĒāϰ āĻļā§āϧā§āĻŽāĻžāϤā§āϰ ā§Ŧ āĻĨā§āĻ⧠⧧⧍ āĻŽāĻžāϏ āĻ āĻĒā§āĻā§āώāĻž āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻšā§āĨ¤ āĻāϰāĻĒāϰ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āύāĻŋāϰāĻžāĻĒāĻĻā§ āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āύāĨ¤
"My blood type is very common (like O+), so hospitals don't need it."
"āĻāĻŽāĻžāϰ āϰāĻā§āϤā§āϰ āĻā§āϰā§āĻĒ āĻā§āĻŦ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ (āϝā§āĻŽāύ O+), āϤāĻžāĻ āĻšāĻžāϏāĻĒāĻžāϤāĻžāϞā§āϰ āĻāϰ āĻĒā§āϰā§ā§āĻāύ āύā§āĻāĨ¤"
Common blood types are actually in the highest demand! Because the majority of patients have common blood types, hospitals require massive amounts of it daily.
āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ āϰāĻā§āϤā§āϰ āĻā§āϰā§āĻĒā§āϰ āĻāĻžāĻšāĻŋāĻĻāĻž āϏāĻŦāĻā§ā§ā§ āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋ āĻĨāĻžāĻā§! āĻāĻžāϰāĻŖ āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋāϰāĻāĻžāĻ āϰā§āĻā§āϰ āϰāĻā§āϤā§āϰ āĻā§āϰā§āĻĒ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ āĻšāĻā§āĻžā§ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāĻĻāĻŋāύ āĻšāĻžāϏāĻĒāĻžāϤāĻžāϞ⧠āĻāĻ āϰāĻā§āϤā§āϰ āϏāĻŦāĻā§ā§ā§ āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋ āĻĒā§āϰā§ā§āĻāύ āĻšā§āĨ¤
"I take daily medications, so my blood isn't pure enough."
"āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāĻĻāĻŋāύ āĻāώā§āϧ āĻāĻžāĻ, āϤāĻžāĻ āĻāĻŽāĻžāϰ āϰāĻā§āϤ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻžāϰ āĻāĻĒāϝā§āĻā§āϤ āύā§āĨ¤"
Most common medicationsâlike blood pressure pills or standard pain relieversâdo not disqualify you. Only a specific handful of medications require a waiting period.
āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋāϰāĻāĻžāĻ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ āĻāώā§āϧ (āϝā§āĻŽāύ: āĻĒā§āϰā§āϏāĻžāϰ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦā§āϝāĻĨāĻžāϰ āĻāώā§āϧ) āϰāĻā§āϤāĻĻāĻžāύ⧠āĻā§āύ⧠āĻŦāĻžāϧāĻž āϏā§āώā§āĻāĻŋ āĻāϰ⧠āύāĻžāĨ¤ āĻļā§āϧā§āĻŽāĻžāϤā§āϰ āύāĻŋāϰā§āĻĻāĻŋāώā§āĻ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāώā§āϧā§āϰ āĻā§āώā§āϤā§āϰ⧠āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻĻāĻŋāύ āĻ āĻĒā§āĻā§āώāĻž āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻšā§āĨ¤
Knowing the truth saves lives.
āĻā§ āĻāĻžāĻāĻŋā§ā§ āĻāĻāĻŋā§ā§ āĻāϏā§āύāĨ¤
Now that the myths are busted, are you ready to be a hero?
āĻā§āϞ āϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāĻžāĻā§āϞ⧠āϝāĻāύ āĻā§āĻā§āĻ āĻā§āϞ, āĻāĻŦāĻžāϰ āĻŽāĻžāύā§āώā§āϰ āĻā§āĻŦāύ āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻāĻžāϤ⧠āĻĒā§āϰāϏā§āϤā§āϤ āϤā§?