JOB CORPS Halloween is approaching and with it comes ghosts, goblins, and gobs of candy! Fallen leaves crinkling under foot and echoes of the words “Trick or Treat” will soon fill the air. Oh! And Vampires of course! VAMPIRES!!! Couple this with the not so recent cult fascination over movies like the popular Twilight series, Vampire Diaries and HBO’s hit series True Blood and you have much ado about BLOOD!
And while these movies are but frightening fictions; it is unfortunate that life sometimes imitates art. Yes, as reported by Good Morning America, some misguided youths have resorted to actually “biting” their significant others in order to show affection?!? Really?!? Seriously!!! —- I know, I know…crazy huh?!?
Don’t they know that better than 15 percent of bites from human beings lead to infection, and in some cases, the spread of blood-borne diseases like hepatitis, syphilis and HIV??? Ewwwwww!!! Now THAT is really scary!
Seriously though, BLOOD is a precious, life-giving commodity. In the U.S., every two seconds someone needs blood; in fact, more than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day.
Many people require blood transfusions for a variety of reasons. For example, more than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year and many of them will need blood, sometimes daily. Other reasons for blood transfusions include Sickle Cell disease which affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S. Also, a single car accident victim could require as much as 100 pints of blood! This red stuff is gold I tell ya! Gold!
The American Red Cross states that “just one donation can save the lives of up to three people”!
We are proud of our Trapper Creek Job Corps students for giving a little of their gold, their treasure, their precious blood…the right way and for the right reason……………..to save lives!
This month at Trapper Creek, almost 50 students lined up and gave an hour-and-a-half each, of their collective lives, to donate blood to save someone else’s. In fact, this is the 3rd time this year! By my count, that means that Trapper Creek Job Corps students have saved close to 500 lives this year!
WOW! That’s something to celebrate!!! No Tricks…just saving lives!