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Whether you are a health
care professional or not, you can save lives. You—and so many in
our community—have a unique opportunity to give to others
without giving much of yourself. You do not have to give a lot
of money, clothing, supplies or time to make a difference. All
you need is 45 minutes to help the people in our community.
Given the benefits, I hope you will consider donating blood at
one of the four Lee Memorial Health System Blood Centers.
I started donating blood as a teenager. My father had many
health challenges and I saw firsthand how blood donations help
patients—from hemophiliacs to trauma patients. I wanted to help
my dad, and anyone else in need. I donated regularly until I was
in my 30s, but a bleeding disorder (unrelated to donating blood)
stopped me from continuing as a donor. In the years since, I
have urged others to consider donating or to make it a regular
occurrence in their lives—donors are able to give blood every 56
days.
“There is no substitute for human blood,” says Nancy Hendrick,
Lee Memorial Health System Blood Center Community Relations
Coordinator. “We do not have any other substance that can heal
and save lives the way blood does. From one donation—just one
pint of blood—we can separate the platelets, the red blood cells
and the plasma to help save three people suffering from
different diseases or trauma. It is amazing.”
The shelf life of blood is 42 days, so the need for blood is
constant. Lee Memorial Health System Blood Centers supply blood
to each of our four hospitals—Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast
Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center and Lee Memorial
Hospital. Our patients use approximately 500 units of blood each
week; though the need for blood spikes in the winter and summer
months. Every unit of blood that is donated in our Blood Centers
remains in our system to serve and save the lives of patients in
our care. To keep up with the demand, we rely on the generosity
of our donors.
With four locations and three Blood Mobiles traveling throughout
Lee County every day of the week, Lee Memorial Health System
strives to make donating easy and convenient.
Donate for a friend, a neighbor, a child, a colleague or a
stranger. Whatever your reason for donating, please know that
your contribution is important to our community and it will make
a difference. If you have never donated before, please consider
visiting our Blood Centers or our Blood Mobiles.
For more information about blood donation, including basic
requirements to donate, please visit
www.LeeMemorial.org/bloodcenter. Also, January is
National Blood Donor month—a great reminder to begin donating
blood or to organize a blood drive. Please call 239-343-2333 for
more information.
Peace,
Jim Nathan
President, Lee Memorial Health System
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