Blood is life. It’s the amazing fluid that keeps us alive; it’s the amazing gift we give to others to help them heal and live. Each and every day, patients in the 50+ local hospitals served by BloodCenter of Wisconsin collectively need approximately 700 units of blood. That means we need to see 800 donors. You may not always see their faces, but the adults and children helped by your gift of blood are very real.
Blood is very unique. It is made up of 4 components: red cells, platelets, white cells and plasma. Each has a special purpose.
Red Cells
Red cells are made in bone marrow. They contain a protein called hemoglobin that hooks up to oxygen and allows it to be transported to all the tissues of the body. Red cells are what give blood its red color. There are about a billion red cells in two or three drops of blood. Without sufficient numbers of red cells, we would become very weak.
Platelets
Platelets are made in bone marrow and help our blood to clot. They help heal the cuts we can see, and the damage to the blood vessels inside our bodies that we can’t see. Without sufficient amounts of platelets, we risk bleeding internally and being unable to stop any external cuts from bleeding.
White Cells
White cells are made in bone marrow and help us to fight disease. Without enough white cells, we wouldn’t be able to battle off disease or even things like the common cold.
Plasma
Plasma is the fluid portion of blood. It contains proteins and salts, and it helps to carry not only blood cells, but also enzymes, hormones and nutrients. It also impacts our blood pressure. Without sufficient amounts of plasma, important blood cells would not be able to circulate throughout the body.
When you donate “whole blood,” you provide all of these things. When you make a component or apheresis (a-fur-E-sis) donation, you donate one or more of these specific components and receive back the rest of your blood. Apheresis donations are generally better for patients because patients can then receive the blood cells or products they need from a smaller number of donors, lessening the likelihood of a reaction.
Blood Types
Your blood type is determined by the presence of specific molecules or antigens found on the surface of red blood cells. There are four main blood types: O, A, B and AB. Your blood also carries an Rh factor that is positive or negative. Together, that gives us 8 possible blood variations: O-, O+, A-, A+, B-, B+, AB- and AB+.
If you have type O Negative blood, your blood, the universal blood type, can be transfused to patients with any blood type.
