Help Save a Life

This weekend, I donated blood. The Red Cross comes to our hometown every 8 weeks, but it's always on a Tuesday. Since I'm in Indy for the week, I go to their main office in Fort Wayne over the weekend and donate.
I always try to do a "double-red" donation, where a machine takes 2 units of red blood cells by taking the whole blood, separating out the red cells, then returning the plasma in some citrine / saline solution. Everyone wins - the Red Cross gets two units of the most needed part of my blood, I can donate "twice" in a single visit (it does render me ineligible to donate for 16 weeks after a double-red donation, instead of the standard 8) and I know that my blood will go to help people who really need it.

Blood isn't exactly non-perishable; they need a constant supply. Modern Medical Science, for all its advances, discoveries, and substitutes, cannot duplicate blood. There is no substitute. And every two seconds, someone, somewhere in the United States, needs blood.
Only approximately 5% of the eligible donors currently give blood.

We decry the lack of "voter turnout" in election years. We speak about apathy when it gets highlighted in the newspaper, or when it affects a large event. But we need to remember the day-to-day, routine apathy as well.
Please. If you're eligible, please give blood. You never know who may need it. Please become one of the silent heroes that help people just by giving of an hour of your time, once every 2 months. Or, if you qualify for a double-red donation, you can give approximately 90 minutes of your time, once every 4 months.
Please give. Please donate. There's a lot more information at http://www.givelife.org. If you don't know if you're eligible, you can do an online quick-check here.

Thanks.