• Each blood donation can save up to three lives but that window is only 42 days of red blood cells.
• Whole blood donations are about one pint. Women have about 10 pints in their body while men have around 12 pints.
• The most requested blood type is O because it’s a universal donor.

Q: What is a universal blood donor?
A: The blood type O. It can be used for any blood transfusion. About 45% of Caucasians are type O, with 57% of Hispanics and 51% of African-Americans are O as well.
 
Q: Does ethnicity matter for whole blood donations?
A: You’re more likely to match with someone of the same ethnicity so minorities are always in need for more blood donations.

Q: Do Ethic Backgrounds affect the matching of Blood Marrow Matching?
A: Yes. The tissues type of each ethnicity is a bit different from another and therefore there is a better chance of survival if the patient has the same ethnic background as the donor.

Q: How are they matched?
A: When a patient’s HLA, Hyman leukocyte antigen, matches the donors’. HLA is a protein in cells that makes each person’s tissue different and when there is a match in the HLA, the bone marrow transplant is able to happen.

Q: Why is this crucial to South Asians?
A: There is a lack of South Asian registered donors presently. Without a match South Asian requiring a blood marrow and patients are at a disadvantage of a successful bone marrow transplant. The search for a south Asians’ blood marrow match is much more difficult because of the complex HLA protein produced and not enough donors with a match of the HLA protein.