If I were granted one wish for 2026 it would be that everybody who gives blood would donate one more time.
That would go a long way toward preventing blood shortages.
Okay, I have another wish: Allow me to donate blood and platelets again.
That’s not likely to happen. I’m on a drug called Finasteride, which can cause birth defects in male babies through blood donations. I’ll probably be on Finasteride for the rest of my life because it helps shrink the prostate, which I might need for as long as I’m above ground.
Sigh. Some readers may be thinking, “Tom’s on the soap box again.” Yup.
Giving blood was near and dear to my heart, pun intended. Made my first donation in 1973, if memory serves me right, and I continued giving whole blood and platelets until 2017 when I was told to take Finasteride to help prevent getting prostate cancer.
By a presidential proclamation, January has been designated as National Blood Donor Month in an effort to raise awareness about the constant demand for blood.
I vaguely recall making my first donation in Lakeland, if memory serves me right. I was encouraged by my late father who had donated about five gallons.
Giving platelets is a longer process so usually I was at the blood bank for two and a half hours, including driving time. Read books and watched movies during the donation process. Got a lot of movie passes for donating, t-shirts and restaurant gift cards if memory serves me right.
Back in the 1980s, I encouraged a friend to donate platelets with me. He enjoyed the experience overall but didn’t like the movies they had that day. He whispered to me that the next time he donated he was going to sneak a porno flick on the blood bank’s DVD player. He was kidding … I think.
Here’s some statistics I found online (Some may have changed): About 37 percent of the United States population is eligible to donate, yet 3 to 10 percent donate annually.
A blood transfusion is needed every two seconds in the United States.
One blood donation can save up two three lives.
Seven million people donate blood annually.
About 1 in 7 people who enter a hospital need blood.
Some other thoughts: I have been impressed by often seeing the Big Red Bus, which is used at mobile blood donations. Another convenient way to give. Talk about dedication: James Harrison, called the “Man with the Golden Arm,” was the leading blood donor in the world. The late Australian died in February 2025, having donated 1,173 times between the ages 18 and 81.
My favorite t-shirt I got from One Blood is red and shows a picture of a turkey with an X written over it. I got it one year before Thanksgiving. It reads, “Don’t be a turkey. Give blood.” Couldn’t say it any better than that.
Tom Germond rolled up his sleeves and worked for nearly 20 years at the News-Gazette as an assistant editor and columnist.
