The devastation that has hit Haiti continues to unfold as more of the injured are found, the death count is now around 45,000 and one of the poorest countries in the Americas struggles with a tragic natural disaster.

There has been an outpouring of ways to help the Haitians- from fashion brands donating 10% of their sales in a relief effort to help Haiti, and charities turning their offices into clothing collection stations- such as charity:water.

One area that I’d like to bring your attention to is the need for donated blood. Donating money helps contribute to saving a life, giving blood makes a difference.  In the US, someone needs blood every two seconds- can you imagine what the need in Haiti is right now?!

So, now that I’ve got you all motivated to go out and give- here are my guidelines for a successful donation:

1.) Eat a good filling meal at least an hour beforehand.

2.) Hydrate- before and after, but no hot drinks after- it shocks the system.

3.) Take a multi-vitamin or an iron vitamin the day of and day before. They will do a test to see if  you have sufficient iron in your system, and this will ensure that you do.

You can go to these websites (Red Cross & National Blood Services) to find the nearest blood bank and schedule an appointment to give. If you are type O negative you MUST go as you are the universal blood donor, but all blood is helpful.

If you are healthy, giving blood can be very good for you. Basically, you are letting out old recirculating blood and then your body has to replace it with new fresh blood. I like to go through this process at least once a year.

(Also, be sure to check the guidelines listed by the blood banks about giving blood. You have to weigh at least 110 lbs, be in good health, be clean of certain medications and not have traveled in certain countries during certain times- so you will want to check all of those off. You should always put your health first and discuss whether giving blood is right for you.)