Giving blood can save lives – and it only takes about an hour. The actual blood draw takes approximately 10 minutes.
Two local synagogues scheduled blood drives this summer. Congregation Anshei Israel held its latest Red Cross blood drive on Sunday, Aug. 18 and Kol Ami Synagogue will have one on Sunday, Sept. 8.
The timing is good. The American Red Cross, which provides 40% of the blood to medical facilities across the U.S., has seen a more than 25% decrease in its national supply since July 1.
A blood drive puts “the idea of pikuach nefesh, the Jewish value of saving a life, into practice,” says Kol Ami’s Rabbi Malcolm Cohen.
One pint of blood can save three lives, according to the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health.
“Jewish tradition teaches that one who saves a life, it is as if they save an entire world. We are so proud of these efforts and all our donors who are truly saving lives and our world,” says Anshei Israel’s Rabbi Sara Metz.
Donating blood is “a great opportunity to give a piece of yourself,” says Catherine Rosenberg, a Kol Ami social action/social justice committee member who is coordinating this year’s blood drives for the synagogue. She also gives blood at Kol Ami drives.
Blood drive donors can sign up to give whole blood, which is the typical donation, or to give a “Power Red” donation that collects two units of red blood cells but returns most of the plasma and platelets to the donor.
The Power Red donation takes longer than giving whole blood, says Rosenberg, who notes that Power Red donors can give up to three times a year, while whole blood donors can give six times a year, every eight weeks.
Kol Ami and Anshei Israel each hold drives twice a year; Kol Ami’s next drive after Sept. 8 will be Jan. 12, 2025. Donations can also be made at Tucson’s two Red Cross blood donation centers.
Reasons people might need a blood transfusion include surgery, complications from pregnancy, organ transplants, trauma, and chronic disease, says Rosenberg, who is hoping to fill about 60 slots for Sept. 8.
Nancy Stoler, one of the 30 people who gave blood at Anshei Israel on Aug. 18, has donated blood since she was 18 years old, inspired in part by a family member with chronic disease.
“My brother needs blood all the time,” she says, explaining that her brother, who lives in New York, has a rare internal bleeding disorder, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
A retired middle school teacher who still fills in occasionally as a substitute, Stoler says frequent nosebleeds can be a sign of HHT. She has referred students to the school nurse or told their parents about getting them checked for HHT.
Stoler made sure to eat spinach and red meat, both rich in iron, leading up to her donation.
Along with eating iron-rich foods before donating, donors should aim for a good night’s sleep the night before, eat a healthy breakfast, and drink extra fluids, says Rosenberg. They should continue to drink extra liquids for 24 to 48 hours after donating.
Fran Stoler, Nancy’s sister-in-law, coordinates the Anshei Israel blood drives with longtime volunteer Margo Gray, who makes the pre-drive phone calls to past and prospective donors.
“When Margo calls, I answer,” says Sue Ross. “It’s important that we have a reserve. There’s too much need.”
Fran, who can no longer donate because she has low blood pressure, says spending two days a year overseeing the drives is an easy way for her to give back. Since she works full-time as a high school librarian, she’s grateful Gray takes on the more time-consuming role.
Besides helping to save or improve other people’s lives, donating blood may enhance the donor’s health. Altruism and volunteering are linked to a lower risk of depression and greater longevity, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, while donating blood regularly is also linked to a lower risk for heart attacks.
Register here for the Sept. 8 blood drive at Kol Ami or contact Rosenberg with questions.
