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Blood drive at the Breeze office this Wednesday

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The Lee Memorial Bloodmobile will be visiting The Cape Coral Breeze this Wednesday, May 21, from 1 4 p.m.

All the blood collected remains in the Lee Memorial Health System, which includes the Children’s Hospital at HealthPark, the Regional Cancer Center and the only Trauma Center (which is located in the Lee Memorial Hospital) within a 5-county radius.

The blood also supports Cape Coral Hospital and Gulf Coast Medical Center.

Lee Memorial Health System uses more than 800 units of blood each week. One in three people will need blood in their lifetime. You never know when you or someone you know or love will need blood. So come out and Give the Gift of Life!

All donors will receive a thank you gift and of course, snacks and juice!

New studies show that donating blood improves your overall cardiovascular health. Regularly donating blood helps men in particular to reduce the amount of iron in the blood. This can reduce the chance of heart attack by 88 percent. Additionally, regular blood donation can lower the risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke by 33 percent. You also burn 650 calories! It’s a win-win!

Requirements for donating blood:

Weigh at least 115 lbs

Be at least 16 years old (16 requires parental written consent)

Be relatively healthy

Provide photo ID

Have 56 days between donations

Eat a meal before donating blood and be sure to drink plenty of fluids before and after donation.

Myth busters:

There is now only a one-year waiting period (from last treatment) for most cancers including breast, prostate and melanoma.

You can donate if you’ve had a tattoo or piercing in the last year as long as it was done in a licensed facility and it has healed.

Once anemic, always anemic is not necessarily true. Iron levels can fluctuate; so allow us to check it for you.

There are many medications that you can be taking and still donate blood. Such as meds that treat: thyroid problems, high blood pressure, cholesterol, anxiety diabetes, and others. Blood thinners still disqualify people from donating.

Being out of the country does not automatically disqualify you from donating. It depends where, how long and when you traveled. These guidelines change daily, so please give us a call or ask the technician on the bloodmobile.

Questions about donating? Call the blood center at 343-2333.