How Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo Donated Enough Blood to Fill a Car’s Gas Tank

By Ian Seth Levine, Volunteer

Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has donated enough blood to fill the gas tank of the fortwo-model car from Mercedes-Benz. And just in case he must donate to you or me one day, he has also forsaken alcohol, cigarettes, and tattoos. The likelihood we will need need his blood is stronger than you might think. In the U.S., someone needs blood every two seconds. By the time you finish reading this paragraph, twelve people will need donors like you and me. But we don’t have the same time, money, or energy as Cristiano to warrant regular donations, right? There are only ten steps for donating blood, and the bulk of them is in the preparation. Every time Cristiano prepares to donate blood, he does five things:

1. Make an appointment using Rapid Pass®.

2. Abstain from aspirin for two days before the appointment.

3. Drink an extra 16 oz. of water (or other non-alcoholic drink); and eat a healthy, iron-rich meal --avoiding fatty foods like hamburgers, fries, and ice cream.

4. Bring a list of current medications and a photo ID.

5. Wear a shirt with sleeves that can roll up above the elbows.

Before we even wake up, Cristiano plunges himself into an ice bath. He exercises for four hours a day, five days a week. He sleeps a solid eight hours, eats small meals every two hours, and swelters in twenty-minute baths. He psychs himself up by staring into the mirror. In fact, his teammates say he’s always training. And yet, he still finds eight minutes of his time to donate to patients like Lindsey, Brian, Markita, Niki, and Emily.

Source: Singapore Red Cross “BE THE 1” campaign

Cristiano is worth $450 million. It’s easy to say that (unlike him) we can’t afford to lose money from missing work. However, many employers allow their employees up to four hours to donate blood without charge to leave or loss of pay. So, depending upon your employer, step six could be a fantastic opportunity to donate (and possibly get paid for doing so). Compensated or not, Cristiano has been donating whole blood every fifty-six days for the last nine years. That’s over seven gallons of whole blood.  Join him, and…

6. Donate.

Although Cristiano is in his thirties, his teammates say he has the energy of a man ten years younger.  It might seem that as a star athlete, he can expel more energy than you and me. But with Rapid Pass® from the American Red Cross, you can schedule your donation faster than it takes him to finish his patented ab workout. And before you can say “World Cup”, you’ll be completing the final four steps of blood donation:

Source: Men's Health UK

7. Enjoy a snack.

8. Tell others about your good deed.

9. Abstain from heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the rest of the day.

10. Call 1-866-236-3276 to report additional health information or request medical care after donation.

For more information and to schedule an appointment to donate blood: www.redcrossblood.org.