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The Ultimate Gift 1 Are you at least x7 years ol? Do you weigh more than 110 pounds? Do you con- sider youselt fairly healthy? 2 Tfyou answered yes to al ofthese questions, you shouldbe donating blood every two months. In my survey ofthe clas, I found tht ony 50 percent of you have ever do- nated blood and that only 1 out of 19 of you donate ona regular bass, The lack of partiei- ation of eligible donors is serious problem that requires immediate action, Through ‘extensive reseateh and two years of faithfully donating blood, I have ome to realize the ‘magnitude of this problem and just how easy the solution ean be. 13. Today I would like to show why blood donors are in such desperate need and en- ‘courage you to take action to combat tis need. Let's fist take a look atthe overwhelm- ing need for blood dono. 44 The lack of participation of eligible blood donors posts a threat tothe ives of ‘many Americans. According tothe American Red Cress We pages, where I obtained an {enormous amount of information, in the United States alone someone undergoes a blood transfusion once every three seconds, which amounts to 3,000 gallons of blood every ‘hour, day and night. People who benefit from donations range from cancer patints to ‘organ transplant patients to sia patients; even premature infants and trauma vle= tims benefit feom donations, The need for Blood never takes « veeaion and nether should donors. 5 _Let me tell you about Brooke, a three-year-old gil with ong curly blond hair and bright bite eyes, Brooke ea victim of cancer and had major surgery to remove a large tumor in her abdomen, She has spent approximately half of ber life fn the hospital re- ceiving chemotherapy and other treatments for infections that resulted from a decrease {inher white blood eel count after each sesion. 6 According to Texas Children’s Hospital, Brooke's treatment will requte blood products witha replacement value of 08 units of blood, of which only 250 units have been replaced. She still neds more than 250 units of blod to continue her treatment. If she doest receive this blood, she will not liv to attend kindergarten to go tothe prom In high sebool, o to get married losuries we ll too often ake for granted, 7 Cases like Brooks's are becoming all too comman these days, with only 2 n 20 el- ‘gible Americans donating blood and the donor rate dropping seailyst2pereent ann ally. These facts are particularly distressing considering that nearly half of us here will receive blood sometime in our lives. 56 PERSUASIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALSIS AND ISCUSION 8 You ean now sue the magnitude ofthe problem with the lack of blood donations Fortunately it a problem that can be easily solved, Each and everyone of you ea be part ofthe solution, All you have to do to save priceles ives is goto the nearest Red Cross and donate your blood. 9 For those of you who have never donated blood before, the process i so simple and eas Fst you ll out a donor information form that asks you questions abot your fexoal history and health, You will then recsive a mini-physical, They wil take a drop of blood from your finger to measure the percent of red eis in your blood. Then they wil take your blond pressure, aswell as your temperature and pulse. So not only are you sa- ingives by donating bloc, you are also checking on your own. 10 _After your physical, you wll be asked from which arm you prefer to donate. Then ‘you will be asked tlie on & donor chai. sa member will clean your arm and insert a stele nonreusabe needle o there is no way to eontract AIDS from donating blood. Af- tera pint of your blood has been taken, which usualy takes about 10 minutes, yu wil be asked to rest for 20 015 minutes while you enjoy juice and cookies. The process ove andi eight weeks you ean donate again 11 Many of you may be seared at the thought ofthe anticipated pain and needle. admit 1 as tereifed the first time ¥ gave blood, but then I realized I was scared over nothing. The extent of the pain as they inert the needle is equivalent to someone ‘scratching your arm fo a brief seeand and while the needles in your arm, you don feel «thing. And as I stated before it isimpossbl to contract AIDS from dovating blood, 12 Now that you know how easy and safe the solution isto the lek of blood dona: tions, lets take a Took at just how much difference your donations ean make, Every unit ‘of blood you donate can help save up to three lives. You see, the blood you donate is di ‘vided three waysinto red blood eal, white blood cells, and platelets. Each ofthese are stored separately and used for diferent types of treatment, Red blood cells are used to treat anemia. White blood eells ae used to ight infections, while platelets are important to control bleeding and are used in patients with leukemia and othe forms of cancer 13. The joy you get from helping three people an be increased many times over. You ‘see, you ean donate blood sx times in a yer. Those six donations could help as many as 18 people, Just think, i you donated fr 10 yeas, you could help save the lives of nearly 180 people. Who knows~one of those lives could be that of frend, a family member, oF ‘even your own, since you ean now donate in advance of your own surge. 14 Now that you know what a difference just one donation can make, I want to en- ‘courage you to take ation. I urge you to take a stand and become a regula blood donor Forty-five minutes out of your day isa small price to pay forthe lifetime of satisfaetion you reeave by knowing you may’ have saved life, Ifyou have never donated Blood be- fore, pull deep inside yourself to find some courage and become a proud weare of the" ama first time blood donor’ sticker. 1ryou have donated before, think backto the feeling of pride you received from making your donation, ieuerpareonr 957 25 Finally, Task lof you to think of loved one you hold so dea to your heat. Im- agine they need a blood transfusion and there isa shortage of donations that day so they ‘ean receive the treatment they so desperately ned—just ike Brooke, the three-year-old Birt I talked about earlier. Go to the nearest Red Cross in Madison, whichis on She- Doygan Avenue, or atend the next blood drive here on eampus. These drives ate eld in various parts of campus, including the dorms. tn fac, the next dive wil be held inthe Ogg Residence Hall in two woes. 16 Please take this opportunity to save lives and make yourself fel lke a milion backs. Give theultimate gift—the gif oflife. Donate blood!

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