The American Red Cross will be holding a Blood Drive on Monday, April 16th from 10:00am – 3:00pm at the Piedmont Rescue Squad Building, 122 South Centre Drive in Piedmont. Everyone is encouraged to show their support for first responders by paying a visit to the Red Cross Bloodmobile and donating that day.
- It feels great to donate!
- You get free juice and delicious cookies.
- It’s something you can spare – most people have blood to spare… yet, there is still not enough to go around.
- You will help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed – most people don’t think they’ll ever need blood, but many do.
- You will be someone’s hero – in fact, you could help save more than one life with just one donation.
“I am a Red Cross blood donor. I love donating blood. The thought of being able to help save three people’s lives every time I go makes me feel like a better person.” / Rino
Although all blood is made of the same basic elements, not all blood is alike. In fact, there are eight different common blood types, which are determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens – substances that can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body. Since some antigens can trigger a patient’s immune system to attack the transfused blood, safe blood transfusions depend on careful blood typing and cross-matching.
There are four major blood groups determined by the presence or absence of two antigens – A and B – on the surface of red blood cells:
- Group A – has only the A antigen on red cells (and B antibody in the plasma)
- Group B – has only the B antigen on red cells (and A antibody in the plasma)
- Group AB – has both A and B antigens on red cells (but neither A nor B antibody in the plasma)
- Group O – has neither A nor B antigens on red cells (but both A and B antibody are in the plasma)
- To learn more visit their official website