My Red Cross Story: Miss Virginia 2020, Katelyn Page

Katelyn Page, Miss Virginia 2020

Written by: Clarice Nassif Ransom, Communications Volunteer

Volunteer: Katelyn O. Page, Miss Virginia 2020
Resides: Prince William County, Virginia
Years of volunteer service: Ongoing since the age of 16

Highlights of American Red Cross Volunteer Work: 

• Ongoing blood donor; hosted an American Red Cross blood drive as Miss Virginia 2020
• Deployed as a Shelter Associate during Hurricane Laura
• Deployed as a Disaster Cycle Services Caseworker for Hurricane Laura recovery
• Served as the American Red Cross Ambassador and Miss Virginia 2020 at the Annual Charity Golf Classic Fundraiser at the Robert Trent Jones Golf 
• Served as a volunteer at U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Lying in State

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"My best advice is that you will never have enough time to do everything on your plate. However, if it is important to you, you will make time. 

Volunteering is everything, and you always get back more than you give."

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Meet Katelyn O. Page, Miss Virginia 2020, and an avid American Red Cross volunteer. Katelyn began her journey volunteering with the American Red Cross when she was 16-years old.

“I have donated with the American Red Cross since I was just 16-years old through blood donations,” said Katelyn. 

“Once I knew the impact that my O- blood type could make for others, I knew that I had to continue donating and encouraging others to join me.”

Kaitlyn is a regular O- blood donor. Only 7% of the population have O- blood.
Due to the versatility for transfusions, it is in high demand, but one of the rarest
 blood type's and  first supply to run out during a shortage.

Through donating blood, Katelyn feels she has helped save lives.

“Per the American Red Cross, just one blood donation can save up to three lives,” said Katelyn. 

“Something beautiful is that the American Red Cross has let me know some of the hospitals where my blood has gone to. That is the most tangible way that I know I have helped save a life.”

Katelyn continues helping others in need by volunteering wherever disasters occur. 

“The American Red Cross goes where the need is, during times of both calm and disaster,” said Katelyn.

“The American Red Cross ensures that various aspects of public health and disaster are addressed.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Katelyn rolled-up her sleeves and became a more active American Red Cross volunteer.

“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I knew that I had to support the American Red Cross in any way that I could,” said Katelyn. “The COVID-19 pandemic inspired me to take a more active role. As such, I serve as a Disaster Cycle Services Caseworker, which allows me the opportunity to support others during their greatest time of need.”

Katelyn has also been deployed as an American Red Cross volunteer nationally, serving on the frontlines helping others to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, a destructive Category 4 hurricane that slammed Louisiana in late August 2020, causing loss of life and devastation of property. Katelyn worked in an American Red Cross shelter and was able to build strong connections with the people she served, helping to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and even the birth of a baby born during Hurricane Laura.

Katelyn deployed multiples times in support of Hurricane Laura
during this historical and devastating hurricane season.

“One connection that I will always cherish is a family whose child was born during the hurricane,” said Katelyn. “The family was heartbroken to not have a home to bring their baby to, but they explained that the American Red Cross made the shelter feel like home. During that time, we truly saw that home is where your loved ones are, it is not a building nor space.”

Katelyn (second from the right) in Lousiana with some fellow
volunteers supporting those affected by Hurricane Laura.

Katelyn encourages everyone to volunteer. 

“My best advice is that you will never have enough time to do everything on your plate,” said Katelyn. 

“However, if it is important to you, you will make time. Volunteering is everything, and you always get back more than you give.”

Katelyn devotes her reign as Miss Virginia 2020 to volunteering.

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“Serving as Miss Virginia 2020 has provided me with the opportunity to inspire other young people to do hard things, and to strive to reach a goal that they may have previously thought unattainable.” 

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Katelyn served as the American Red Cross Ambassador and
Miss Virginia 2020 at the Annual Charity Golf Classic.

“I have dedicated my reign to promoting child advocacy and advocacy in young people. It is my hope that young people will become advocates themselves. The American Red Cross has helped me to do this work.”

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You can join us too! 

To become a volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteer.

To make a financial donation, visit redcross.org.

To make an appointment to donate blood, visit redcrossblood.org 

Our Red Cross Story: The Jokl Family

 By Sandy Habib, Red Cross Volunteer

In 2014 and early 2015, Lee and Kirsten Jokl were excited soon-to-be, first-time parents. By all accounts, Kirsten’s pregnancy was normal until early February 2015, when their son Elin was born six weeks prematurely. While being born so early can pose a huge challenge on its own, it was just the beginning of a slew of surgeries and procedures that Elin would soon face. 

Doctors quickly discovered that he was born with a blockage in his small intestine. At just 16 hours old, Elin underwent his first surgery. His medical team identified a blockage and removed the perforated section, thinking Elin’s problems were solved. Ten days later and still in the hospital, Elin’s body was fighting an infection in his bloodstream and became septic due to another blockage that doctors hadn’t previously discovered. He was then rushed to the Johns Hopkins Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where he received his first Red Cross blood transfusion. Within days, he needed another surgery and with it, another blood transfusion.

Elin Jokl underwent his first of five surgeries just 16 hours after he was born.

Professionally, Kirsten is a Senior Physician Assistant in the Adult Emergency Department at Johns Hopkins Hospital. This enabled the couple to be highly involved in nearly every aspect of Elin’s care. A large part of his care at the time included ongoing blood transfusions. Lee discussed options with Johns Hopkins and the Red Cross; the team approved a plan that enabled Lee to donate lifesaving blood that went straight to his son, known as a “directed donation.”

After six blood transfusions, five surgeries and nearly three months in the NICU, Elin was finally able to go home in late April 2015. Since then, Lee, Kirsten, and Elin welcomed another addition to the family, Eva, born in 2017, and they are all happy and healthy. Elin knows the story of his early months and shows off his prominent belly scars as badges of honor. He is currently busy preparing for another proud moment, his first day of kindergarten.

Elin Jokl is ready for his next milestone: kindergarten.

Meanwhile, Lee has been doing what he can to build awareness for the critical – and constant – need for blood donors. He works at T. Rowe Price, a large financial services firm, and helped support regular on-site blood drives prior to COVID-19; he is eager to continue these workplace drives once it is safe to do so.

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“Giving blood really is one of the easiest, most selfless things someone can do to have a huge, positive impact on another person. It means so much, as we know very personally.”

- Kirsten Jokl

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He stays engaged with the Red Cross as a Board Member for the Central Maryland Chapter. The Board promotes the need for financial and blood donations in the local community, among other organizational priorities that support the Red Cross mission. The group recently participated in Central Maryland’s August “Run for the Red,” a virtual race through which runners secured sponsorships and donations that went to the Red Cross. Lee participated in the inaugural event “Run for the Red” and enjoyed the experience and sharing his accomplishment with friends and family on social media. 

Elin is healthy today in large part because of the generosity of blood donors and the Red Cross. Based on their experience with the Red Cross, Lee and Kirsten are all too happy to give back and encourage others to do the same.

The happy Jokl family today.

 

Lee explains, “I greatly appreciate anyone who takes time out of their day to donate blood, as well as the Red Cross for getting it to those in need. It was a huge process to get Elin all the blood he needed in those early months and I’m eternally grateful for all that the Red Cross did to partner with the hospital and help save Elin’s life. He wouldn’t be here today without all that.” 

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Give the gift of life by rolling up your sleeve and donating blood today – you can save up to three lives with every selfless donation. 

Make an appointment here: https://www.redcrossblood.org

My Red Cross Story: Doug VanDyke

Meet Doug VanDyke, American Red Cross
Board Member, Chief Executive Officer of
Enquizit, Lifelong Volunteer, and Blood Donor

Written by: Clarice Nassif Ransom, Communications Volunteer

Doug VanDyke,
American Red Cross Board Member (since 2014)

Profession: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Enquizit, an application development and cloud migration company headquartered in McLean, Virginia; other highlights include Amazon and Microsoft

Home: Ashburn, Virginia

Family: Wife, three children

Role models who inspired VanDyke’s volunteer leadership: LaRhea VanDyke, mother; Linda Mathes, American Red Cross Chief Executive Officer for the National Capital Region; and Teresa Carlson, former boss and former American Red Cross Board chair for the National Capital Region.

Volunteering is a lifelong pursuit for Doug VanDyke. “Growing up, my mother was involved in every local volunteer activity and Board in the community, and she would bring me with her, so I was exposed to volunteering at an early age,” said VanDyke. “I watched my mother volunteer and assumed volunteering is something you do as an adult—you give back to the community.”

Now, VanDyke is continuing his journey of volunteering by sharing his leadership skills as an American Red Cross Board member. VanDyke is proud of how the American Red Cross responds to disasters to help those most in need, including collecting and delivering blood donations; provides food, shelter, and safety after natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or wildfires; and proactively installs smoke alarms in homes to help prevent home fires.
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“When others are running away from a disaster, 

the American Red Cross is running straight at it - 

and they stay until it is resolved,” 

says VanDyke.

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Since 2014, VanDyke has served as the chair for several American Red Cross events, from Salute to Service Gala fundraisers (which honor active duty service members and veterans) to the 2nd Annual Disaster Preparedness Summit in Washington, D.C., which was held on January 28, 2020.

“The Disaster Preparedness Summit addresses the disaster risks we face in the Washington, D.C. area and explores the impacts a significant disaster would have on our region,” said VanDyke.

“Our goals were for attendees to hear from experts who have real-life experience dealing with complex disaster coordination challenges and for attendees to leave with a better understanding of the hazards we face and how to prepare for and respond to disasters in their communities, organizations and households.”

In preparation for the 2nd Annual Disaster Summit, VanDyke had to rally fellow American Red Cross Board members to support it at a meeting last fall.

“It was a meeting with a lively discussion about speakers, topics, format, and location,” said VanDyke, who then agreed to chair the Summit.

“We were in the office of the American Red Cross in Fairfax; a blood donation center had just been added to the 3rd floor of the building. I was in a good mood, so I walked upstairs and the blood donation center staff were able to take me right away. I have O- blood type and am a universal donor. I have been told O- blood can even be used by premature babies. That is inspiring. Also, both my wife and my father have had open-heart surgeries that required donated blood. Someone before me was there to donate for them. I'm glad I can be part of the virtuous cycle and give to someone else who will need it.”

In the Fall of 2019, Doug VanDyke attended a meeting to plan the 2nd Annual Disaster Preparedness Summit in the American Red Cross office in Fairfax, VA; immediately after the meeting, VanDyke donates blood on the 3rd floor in the building's new blood donation center. 

Another American Red Cross leadership effort VanDyke was involved with was in 2018 when he was employed with Amazon Web Services.

“The American Red Cross, Voice Foundry, and our team at Amazon Web Services set up an emergency call center to help those impacted by Hurricane Florence,” said VanDyke.

“We had more than 100 Amazon Web Services’ employees who volunteered to staff the call center. We serviced more than 1,000 calls. Employees volunteered from around the world, even as far away as Singapore, to staff the call center and help those in need. Many of these calls were very emotional, helping reconnect loved ones.”

VanDyke’s leadership experience with the American Red Cross has helped him both personally and professionally.

“Personally, it provides me a channel to give back,” said VanDyke.

“I see direct results, and I can contribute through multiple channels. Professionally, it has helped me build a support network outside my company—people I like and trust.”
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"Volunteering is one of the best ways people can feel connected to each
other and to their communities," according to VanDyke.

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“There is more to life than making money,” said VanDyke.

“Volunteering is a great way to improve the overall quality of life in our communities. It is personally rewarding, by helping us learn skills and develop friendships. It is also valuable to the community by providing for needs that aren't being covered by government or businesses.”

As Chair of the 2nd Annual Disaster Preparedness Summit, Doug takes preparedness seriously and encourages everyone to have an emergency plan. If you don't have one yet, here's what you can do to prepare yourself and your family for a disaster:

Create Your Emergency Plan in Just 3 Steps

1. With your family or household members, discuss how to prepare and respond to the types of emergencies that are most likely to happen where you live, learn, work and play.

2. Identify responsibilities for each member of your household and how you will work together as a team.

3. Practice as many elements of your plan as possible.

For more information about creating a family emergency plan, including templates to help you be organized, go to: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/make-a-plan.html

Make a difference in your community. Click here to become a Red Cross volunteer.

Click here to learn more about donating blood with the American Red Cross near you.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Shirley Gaines

Written by: Courtney Clarke, Communications Volunteer

Shirley Gaines has personal experience with
two lines of service at the American Red Cross.

Years of service: 3

Resides: Woodbridge, VA

Profession: Retired Medical Transcriptionist, Kaiser Permanente

Why do you believe in the work of the Red Cross?

Shirley and her family have had several personal experiences with the Red Cross, dating back over 50 years! They have been assisted by two lines of service within the Red Cross: Service to the Armed Forces and Disaster Services.

In the late 1960s, her brother was in the Army, stationed in Vietnam. The family would go long stretches of time without hearing from him, and they would worry about his safety. During one especially long period without contact from him, the family asked the Red Cross to track him down. The Red Cross was able to locate him and learn that he was recovering from malaria and was assigned to a clerical post in Vietnam. The family was relieved to learn that he was alive and well. 

Years later, Shirley’s mother’s home in Arlington, VA caught on fire. As the flames blazed, Shirley’s mother felt a sense of hopelessness and desperation. The Red Cross was instrumental in providing her mother, brother and sister with hotel accommodations until the soot that covered everything in their house was cleaned up and they received their homeowner’s insurance payment. Even more importantly than the financial assistance, the Red Cross restored her sense of calm and peace. Shirley doesn’t know what the family would have done without the Red Cross.

Based on her personal experience with the Red Cross, Shirley firmly believes in the organization and its mission. "You know where your money and resources are going when you donate to the Red Cross. I feel that the resources are going to the right place," she explains. Even for those who don’t have financial resources to donate, Shirley encourages people to donate blood, which is what she does. 

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"I believe in the Red Cross and I give blood because they do a lot of good work.  This is my way of helping people - I don't always have cash to make financial donations, but I have blood and if i can give blood, that's something."

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Why do you donate blood to the Red Cross?

Shirley is an Army veteran and has been active with the American Legion in the DC area for fifteen years. The Legion introduced her to donating blood around three years ago, when they had a blood drive on-site, and she has been donating quarterly ever since. This adds up to about 12 pints of blood, and each pint can save up to three lives!

With less than 38% of the U.S. population eligible to give blood, Shirley knows that her gift is an important one. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illness or traumatic injuries. “Donating blood is my way of helping to save lives,” Shirley boasts.

Donating blood is easy!

Donating blood is a simple process. First, go to redcrossblood.org to locate your nearest blood donation center and schedule an appointment. Then, to save time, click on the "RapidPass" link and complete your pre-reading and health history questions. When you arrive for your appointment, you'll be seated comfortably while a pint of blood is drawn; the actual donation only takes 8-10 minutes. After donating, you can enjoy a snack and a drink for 10-15 minutes before resuming your day. The entire donation process takes about an hour.

Click here to learn more about our Service to Armed Forces services. 

Click here to learn more about donating blood with the American Red Cross near you.

One Man, 96 Pints of Blood Donated: Meet American Red Cross Hero, Bill Tito

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, American Red Cross Volunteer

Name: Bill Tito
Resides: Arlington, Virginia
Profession: Retired after working in the Human Resources field with the Department of Agriculture (24 years) and the Department of Transportation (13 years)

UPDATE: As of May 2020, Bill Tito has officially donated his 100th pint! 

“I’m planning to keep donating blood in my 70s and hope to give 120+ times. I encourage everyone to donate blood. It’s almost certain that someone they know will need blood someday.”

Meet Bill Tito. In September 2019, Bill will be donating his 95th and 96th pints of blood to the American Red Cross. Donating blood is a lifelong habit for Bill who hopes to donate more than 120 pints of blood during his lifetime.

“One thing I’d tell people is how easy it is to give blood as the American Red Cross holds blood drives everywhere, all the time,” said Bill. “I’ve never had a problem or issue while donating blood. I gave most often at work, but now that I’m retired, I give at local churches here in Arlington or at the American Red Cross Center in downtown Washington, D.C.”

Bill first began donating blood when he was 18 years old.

“I was working at a retail brass shop, and the owners encouraged everyone to donate blood,” said Bill. “Since they gave everyone who donated the afternoon off, I decided to give it a go! It was painless and easy.”

 Bill Tito with his mother, whose cancer
diagnosis reenergized Bill’s efforts to donate blood. 

Bill continued, “I donated blood 2-3 times a year for about the next 20 years, first at college blood drives and then at my government job when the American Red Cross came. I remember that there were two gentlemen at the agency (Department of Agriculture) who had a friendly competition going to see who could donate the most blood. They both had donated blood more than 80 times. Since my blood donations at the time were in the 30s, I couldn’t even imagine giving blood 80 times. They were quite an inspiration.”

Bill’s habit of regularly donating blood waned after his children were born and resurged after his mother found out she had cancer.

“My mother developed Lymphoma and had to get several blood transfusions,” said Bill. “That caused me to start giving regularly again. Also, about 25 years ago, I was told I had rare blood. Even though I have O Positive (the most common blood type, which is the most in-demand), I apparently have rare enzymes in my blood. I’m told that they like to give my blood to newborns and cancer patients. I like to think my donations are helping others.”

About 3 years ago Bill started giving “Double Red” donations, where he donates two units of red blood cells during one donation session. The platelets and plasma are returned to Bill.

“Red blood cells are the most frequently used blood component and are most needed,” said Bill. “Double Red blood donations means I give every 112 days instead of every 56 days.”

Bill concluded, “I like giving blood and the Red Cross does an excellent job of making it a good experience.”



To donate blood, check out the American Red Cross blood donation web site at RedCrossBlood.org.

National Blood Donor Month - Commit to Help Save Lives

By Carly Flumer, Volunteer

January is National Blood Donor Month, the perfect time to resolve to be a regular blood donor and help save lives. The American Red Cross urges people to share their good health and resolve to give blood regularly, beginning in January with National Blood Donor Month. 

We can all think of easy, simple ways to help someone, whether it be through random acts of kindness, such as letting someone ahead of us in line, or even lending a listening ear to someone who needs it most. But did you know that there’s also a simple and easy way to save someone’s life? It all starts with your blood - bet you didn’t think of that!

Donating blood through the Red Cross helps all types of people, both young and old. From cancer patients to accident and burn victims, to those undergoing a heart surgery or an organ transplant, your donation will help someone in need in a heart-felt way that makes a lasting difference in their life.

Watch Marquita’s story for example. 🎥
She was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when she was born, and requires blood cell transfusions every 6 months.

Or look at the amazing Hannah 🎥, a 16-year-old cancer fighter, who is surviving on blood donations.

When you donate blood, you not only help patients like these, but you give back to your community. Plus, all different types of blood products are needed, including whole blood and platelets, so your donation will go far in making a difference.

To watch more compelling stories, visit the Red Cross’s YouTube page, or to find out more information about donating blood visit the Red Cross’s Blood Services homepage where you can schedule an appointment at your nearest donation center.

My Day at a Red Cross Blood Drive: Sandy Habib

By Sandy Habib, Volunteer

The American Red Cross urges people to share their good health and resolve to give blood regularly, beginning in January with National Blood Donor Month. Extreme winter weather in some parts of the country and seasonal illnesses often make it difficult for the American Red Cross to maintain a sufficient blood supply at this time of year. Healthy individuals are urged to give now. 

It’s widely known that the American Red Cross is in continuous need of blood donations. Winter, however, is an especially challenging time for the Red Cross to meet its blood demands for many reasons. Regular donors are often busy with the holidays and travel plans. Harsh winter weather and widespread cases of the flu can also be obstacles. The fact is, though, that the Red Cross must collect more than 2,500 platelet and about 13,000 blood donations every day for patients at about 2,500 hospitals nationwide. These blood products are perishable and need to be distributed to hospitals quickly, so it’s imperative that donors continue giving blood year-round to avoid delays in essential medical care.

Giving blood is a rewarding experience for those who are able to do their part and help patients in need. There are many of us, though, who, for a whole host of reasons, cannot donate blood. That doesn’t mean that we can’t make contributions in other ways. For example, on January 10, 2019, I was a Blood Donor Ambassador at a blood drive at the Red Cross office at 123 N. Alfred Street in Alexandria.

Here I am greeting donors as they arrive. This is a rewarding volunteer role
for anyone with free time on weekday afternoons (or some weekends).

As Ambassador, I greeted donors as they arrived and thanked them for coming in. Then I signed them in and provided them with their blood donation information. There was usually time before the donors were called in, so I had the opportunity to chat with them. I met one gentleman who has donated close to 100 times – incredible! I also spoke to some high school students who were excited about donating for the first time. Everyone was friendly and courteous, and I really enjoyed getting to meet all the donors. I commended them all on their selfless act of giving blood.

Like the donors, the staff was very sociable. They were professional, yet charismatic. They played lively music in the background which created a comfortable environment, putting donors at ease. My watch indicated that I volunteered for 3.5 hours, but since I spent the time with so many wonderful people, it felt as though it was about half of that.

The Red Cross blood staff works hard to make sure that facilities
are clean and comfortable for donors. This is the blood drive room
at the Red Cross office in Alexandria, VA. 

Even if you can’t donate blood, there are other ways you can help the cause. Like me, you can volunteer your time at a blood drive. You can make a financial donation. Maybe you can leverage your social media presence to donate your birthday/special occasion, honor someone special or start a virtual drive for your organization to encourage others to donate blood and/or money.  Even better, if you have a large, open space to host a blood drive, you can have up to 50 of your friends/colleagues/family members donate blood in a single day! There are many ways to make an important impact and promote blood drives in your community. The key is to find what works best for you and commit to helping the Red Cross.

Go to www.redcrossblood.org to learn more about how you can donate blood to help the Red Cross save lives.

To host a blood drive, go to the “Hosting a Blood Drive” or click here to learn more and apply!

Why you’re better than 32% of most people

By Ian Seth Levine, Volunteer

I'm not going to try to convince you to donate blood. There's something so sacred about blood that we create folklore centered on creatures taking it from us: the German Alp, the Jewish Lilitu, the Latin American Chupacabra. While these creatures aren't real, our fear of losing something valuable is.  And from that fear stems myths not only about losing blood, but also about freely giving it away. For example, many people think that donating blood is an inconvenient, unnecessary, and painful way to contract an exotic and incurable disease. But much like Dracula, these are only myths.

Here are the facts:
A single car accident victim could need up to 100 pints of blood. If we took all of the drivers who crashed their cars last year in Virginia, we could completely pack Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, PNC Field, and BB&T Ballpark. A person can donate only one pint of blood at a time, so can you really rely on enough people to step up and donate should you need it?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Why? 17% of people surveyed who don't donate blood say it's because they "never thought about it." In other words, if you asked one hundred people to help you after a serious collision, the first seventeen would completely ignore you. Then, an additional fifteen people would tell you they're "too busy.”

I'm not going to presume to know your schedule. I know only my schedule. I teach for two universities, write articles and blog posts for American Red Cross, and run my namesake blog about writing. It took me longer than I'd care to admit, but I'm not as busy as I thought. In between my responsibilities were pockets of down time, which I tended to fill with binge-watching and PinstaSnap BookTube. But in less time than it took to watch an episode of Narcos, even I donated blood.

 

I think blood is fascinating. For example, the milky blue blood of the horseshoe crab is so good at detecting infections it's valued at $14,000 a quart by biomedical companies. Your blood has traces of gold in it. Some insects have violet blood. Dogs have blood types just like humans.

And, if you scheduled an appointment to donate right now, you'd be better than 32% of most people.

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.