Donate Blood, Save A Life in Westfield

If you have some spare time over Memorial Day Weekend, the Westfield Area YMCA is hosting a blood drive.

The blood drive will take place on Sunday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Main Y Facility, 220 Clark St., in Westfield. It will be conducted by New Jersey Blood Services.

In order to make a blood donation, participants must be in generally good health, weigh 110 pounds or more and be at least 17 years of age, or 16 years of age with parental consent. Donors must bring identification and remember to have plenty to eat or drink the day you donate blood.

Here are a few facts from the New York Blood Center about blood and the effect blood donations have on recipients of transfusions:

• 4.5 million Americans receive blood transfusions each year.
• 40,000 pints are transfused each day in the United States – to save the lives of cancer patients, accident, burn, and trauma victims, newborn babies, mothers delivering babies, transplant patients, surgery patients and others in need.
• Much of today’s sophisticated medical care (transplants, heart surgeries, etc.) relies on blood transfusions.
• Car accident and trauma victims may need as many as 50 or more red cell transfusions.