Blood Donation
By: Ashley Wilson
Letter Of Intent
Ashley Wilson
603 bobcat road
Summerfield, NC, 27358
RCHS Advisory Board
Rockingham County High School
180 High School Rd
Wentworth,NC,27375
Dear RCHS Advisory Board:
I have become very interested with the health care profession within the last couple of years. I already know the basics of the health care system. I have just recently gotten my CNA, and during that time I realized the importance of health care workers, and how it takes a web of people to make everything work in the system. During this time I realized that those people need a lot of things, and one of those things is blood. This is why I have decided, that I would make my senior project about the benefits of giving blood.
The focus of my research paper will be, why is it so important to donate blood at your local blood drives when they are in the area.
My project will be on why it is very important to donate blood and the advantages of it. My research will connect perfectly with my product as my product will actually be a blood drive, and will get our school and community involved. The blood drive will benefit people in the community. Mrs. Harris will be my mentor, because she is a registered nurse, and also my teacher so I feel comfortable talking to her and having her help me with my project. What makes her an expert is that she has been a registered nurse for a little over thirty years, so she has seen and done everything in the book. She is also a teacher that teaches not only the Nursing Fundamentals class, but also Health Science classes so she is helping young people understand the importance of health care.
I understand that you cannot just copy and paste things into your paper and call them your own. It is important to be an ethical person, because you should be responsible for what you do and always be honest it makes things a lot easier and no one wants to hire, or be around someone that takes credit for other people’s work.
Sincerely,
Ashley Wilson
I have read, understand, and accept my child's letter of intent and agree to support his/her Graduation Project plan.
_____________________________________________________________ Parent's Name(print) Parent's Signature
Senior paper
Ashley Wilson
English IV
Ms. Williams
2 May 2016
Blood Donation
Thesis: Everyone in the world has blood flowing through their bodies and it's a necessity for staying alive. There is a great demand for blood, with little to no supplies for people who need it. Giving blood is a quick and easy way to help others, and also keeping oneself healthy.
What are the excuses for not giving blood?
No time
Afraid of needles
Rare blood
No blood to spare
II. Why giving blood is good for your heart.
How iron depletion is healthy for your heart
Blood transfusions
Mini check up
III. Umbilical cord donation
Why people should think about donating their babyś umbilical cord
IV.
Blood Facts
Ashley Wilson
English IV
Ms. Williams
2 May 2016
Everyone in the world has blood flowing through their bodies and it's a necessity for staying alive. There is a great demand for blood, with little to no supply for people who need it. Giving blood is a quick and easy way to help others, and also keeping oneself healthy.
There is a shortage of blood, in the world caused by lack of donors, many ask why there is a shortage when people give all the time. Yes it's true a lot of people do donate, but a large majority do not, because they say they are afraid of the needle stick. Twenty percent of the world's population are afraid of needles, it's a condition called, Belonephobia, and it's a fear of sharp pointed objects, which includes needles. Many people come up with excuses as to why they cannot give, many say they are too busy. The entire donation process takes about an hour, but the actual donation time is only seven to ten minutes.
People say they have already given once this year, you can give every fifty-six days, they could actually give up to five times that year, Each time someone gives blood it can save three or more people. Also people say they are afraid of contracting AIDS or HIV from the needles; each time they stick someone it is with a new clean sterile needle so there is no way you can contract AIDS or any other disease from donating. Some people say their blood is not the correct type, when in fact any blood type is the right type. People need blood every second of the day somewhere in the world, so a donation of any type is needed greatly.
Many people say they have no blood to spare, when in fact the adult body has ten to twelve pints of blood, and doctors say it is healthy for them to donate because the blood replenishes so quickly. The blood you donated is replenished in the body within 24 hours. Also many say they have rare blood so they will wait until there is a special need for it. Rare or special blood is almost always in short supply and on demand, there is always a need for these blood types so organizations avoid having to recruit people to donate blood in the midst of a crisis.
Donating blood reduces iron levels which keeps your heart healthy. High iron levels affect the texture of blood, which determines its thickness. Raised iron levels also increase the oxidation process of cholesterol, this increases the damage done to the arteries. Elevated iron levels can also cause symptoms, such as enlarged liver, hardening arteries, muscle weakness and irregular heartbeat. Increased oxidative stress can be very damaging to the cardiovascular system.
In the donation process iron is depleted from your body which regulates the levels of iron in the body, Iron depletion will make the blood thinner, which in return makes it easier on the heart. Men are more likely to have circulatory viscosity problems, than a menstruating woman.
In a study published in the Journal of the Medical Association researchers found men between the ages 43 to 61 had fewer heart attacks and strokes, when they donated at least every six months. Studies published by, American Journal of Epidemiology, thirty-three percent of blood donors are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, and 88 percent less likely to suffer from a heart attack.
Blood is the most precious gift one human can give to another, it can be the gift of life. Blood transfusions are needed to help pregnant women who have complications in pregnancy, and also if the women hemorrhages before, during or after childbirth. Blood transfusions are also used for people that have been in a traumatic accident. Blood is also needed everyday for all types of surgeries. Blood transfusions are often used in cancer patients, during chemotherapy.
Another great reason to donate is that you get a mini check up during the process. You get a small check up, temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. After the donation the organization will take small vials of blood. The blood is sent to a lab, and they run multiple test checking for thirteen diseases, including AIDS, and West Nile virus. If a donor suspects or thinks he/she has been exposed to a disease they should not donate.
Another thing that most people, especially mothers wouldn´t think about is donating their babyś umbilical cord blood. There is a global network of public cord donations. They distribute cord blood units to unrelated patients. This cord blood is used to treat babies with life threatening hematological diseases. (Jordens et al., 363).
Most (88%) correctly identified cord blood transplantation as a treatment for
leukemia, but respondents were less certain (and correct responses were more
variable) for questions about unproven applications of cord blood, including the
treatment of asthma 93.7% correct responses, diabetes 77.6% correct, cystic
fibrosis 59.2% correct, and spinal cord injury 50.3% correct (Jordens et al., 363)
There are many things people do not know blood and the donations. Around forty thousand pints of blood are used in the U.S. alone everyday. One out of every seven people admitted to the hospital will need blood. Three teaspoons of blood can save a babyś life. If twenty people donate, that is enough to help a burn victim. There is a high demand for blood, so it helps to donate as often as you can, because blood is only good for forty-two days after the donation, and platelets only last five days after a donation.
Work Cited
Borreli, Lizette. "Why Donating Blood Is Good for Your Health." Medical Daily. N.p., 30 May
2023. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.Web
"Donating Blood: Healthy or Hype." Paleo Leap. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.Web
"Reasons People Don't Give Blood." University of Maryland Medical Center. University of
Maryland, 2016. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.Web
Stalin, Rachel. "4 Unexpected Benefits of Giving Blood." Health. News and Review, 13 June 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.Web
"Donate Blood." Donating Blood. Blood Source, Yes You Do save Lives, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 13
Apr. 2016.
Jordens, Christopher F. C., et al. "Knowledge, Beliefs, And Decisions Of Pregnant Australian
Women Concerning Donation And Storage Of Umbilical Cord Blood: A Population-Based
Survey." Birth: Issues In Perinatal Care 41.4 (2014): 360-366 7p.CINAHL with Full Text. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Blood Donation
Blood Drive
Blood Donation
Blogs
My project is on blood donation so I am hosting the RCHS Blood drive. I will learn how the planning of an event goes, and I will also learn more about the donation process itself. I will also learn wat it takes to host a blood drive such as the supplies and donations we need.
What problems did I encounter and how did I overcome them?
One of the buggest problems I ahd during the planning was we had to sign people up on the computer and every time I went to log someone in the website would crash, I overcame this by writing down every single one by hand and having to go back in when the website worked and log every single person in. I also encountered getting old last minuet things that we needed so I had to check out of school and go get those last minuet things such as coolers and had to go get another roll of plastic,because Loweś hardware gave me the wrong type to start with. It was also hard to find places to donate plates, cups and napkins, but I did not give up I conntinud to ride around asking places to donate.
Expert Collaboration?
I chose my expert, becase she has been in the nursing field for over 30 years so I knew if I had any questions she would be there to answer them. Another reason I chose my expert is because she has planned the blood drive over the past years every fall and spring. I learned from her what it takes to plan a blood drive and how much work goes into it. Mrs. Harris assited me in this project by keeping me in line with when things were due for the blood drive.
Reflection?
I learned from myself that I am capable of planning a blood drive and getting every single person signed up and their names in the computer.
Hours
Feburary 26
10:30-11:10
Learning the computer system
40 min
Feburary 29
10:15-11
Hanging up posters
45 min
March 1
12-12:45
Lunch
45 min
March 10
9:40-11
Logging people in the computer
1 hr 20 min
March 11
9:30-11:05
Walked around signing people up
1hr 35 min
March 13
9:40- 10:50
Logging people in the computer
1hr 10min
March 17
8:15- 11
Getting supplies
2hr 45 min
March 11
1:30-3:00
Getting donations
1 ½ hours
March 18
7:30-3:00
Blood drive
7 ½ hours
Total of 17 hours 25 minutes