111 Puerto Ricans supply Cayey's blood bank

On the premises of the Fraternity Gama Phi of the municipality of Cayey, volunteers from the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace (GEAP) in Puerto Rico, held a solidarity day of blood donation in coordination with Mutual Services Blood Bank, INC.

The campaign carried out as part of the Integral Program Life is in the Blood, received 129 citizens and resulted in a total of 111 effective units of safe blood that will benefit patients who require this vital fluid.

The director of the collection department of the Mutual Services Blood Bank, INC. Ivelisse Olivera urged the population to join this initiative because every four seconds a blood transfusion is required.

Olivera explained that seven thousand units of blood have been exported from the United States because demand in hospitals increased after Hurricane Maria in September 2017.

Pablo Vázquez, member of the blood bank said:

"We need 400 pints a day to be able to supply the need for blood throughout Puerto Rico, and we barely reach 250 donors a day. Because we need to sensitize the public to donate blood. "

The satisfaction of saving lives

The volunteer blood donor, Monica Burgos said it is a satisfaction to give the opportunity of life to a person who needs blood. "You can change life in a second and it costs nothing, it isn't painful and it does not hurt," he concluded.

The GEAP promotes the principle of love and the universal values of the human family, since blood donation is a voluntary, solidary, civic, altruistic, responsible and habitual act.