Be Impulsive and save three lives in six minutes

How can YOU get involved? Find out at BeImpulsiveRSVP.com. #BeImpulsive.

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I participated in the Bonfils Be Impulsive campaign through TapInfluencer. All opinions are my own. #BeImpusive #ad

I remember the first time I donated blood. My high school hosted blood drives several times a year, but the minimum age for donation was 17. I was in the youngest age group of my grade, so I turned 17 in 12th grade and had to wait (what seemed like) ages to finally give blood. I donated for the first time over ten years ago and have been donating since.

Blood donation had been an abstract way to help people for me. Each donation has the potential to save three lives, but I never knew anyone who needed a blood transfusion. A few weeks before we finished grad school, one of my dear friends experienced a major medical crisis and almost died. The first week or so, she was having surgery almost every day and had to have multiple blood transfusions. The impact of my donations suddenly hit home, and I really appreciated how important donating blood is.

I know people don’t donate because they think it takes hours or they’re scared of needles. Donating blood is easier than ever. Your initial screening and iron check take 10 to 20 minutes (depending on how busy your donation center or drive is). Then you’re ready to donate! You don’t even have to watch. Donating blood can take from 5 to 15 minutes. You recover with juice and cookies for 10 to 20 minutes, and then you’re back on track with the rest of your day.

Bonfils is the major donation center in Colorado. They have a bunch of locations in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas and offer online scheduling for appointments. Working on a college campus has a lot of perks, and one of those is the ease of donating blood. Bonfils partners with UCCS and a lot of other Colorado schools to host regular blood drives. I would schedule an appointment (you can get a text reminder), mosey down the hall of the student union, and save three lives in about 45 minutes from start to finish.

Are you wondering how can YOU get involved? Find out at BeImpulsiveRSVP.com. #BeImpulsive. If you don’t live in Colorado, search “blood donation near me” to find our where to donate in your local community. Together, we can save thousands of lives.