Celebrate Wellness Month: Donating blood benefits your health and saves lives

August is National Wellness Month – a perfect time to embrace small habits that support your whole self. One powerful way to do that? Become a blood donor. Each donation can save up to three lives and may also help reduce your risk of heart attack and lower your chances of developing certain cancers.

According to the National Library of Medicine, donating blood at least once a year can help improve blood flow and reduce arterial blockages by reducing iron levels. Some studies suggest that people who regularly donated blood reduced their risk of experiencing a heart attack by 88%. (Meyers DG, 1997)[i]

Regularly donating blood may also lower your cancer risk by releasing oxidized iron from the bloodstream. Oxidized iron can build up in the bloodstream and cause cancers, particularly those of the liver, lung, colon, and esophagus. Donating blood lowers the iron levels and may help reduce the risk of these certain cancer types.

Celebrate National Wellness Month by becoming a blood donor today. Join AdventHealth Hendersonville and The Blood Connection for a blood drive on Thursday, August 21, at AdventHealth Hendersonville.

To make it easy for the public to donate, AdventHealth and The Blood Connection follow all safety protocols for blood donation.

Blood Drive at AdventHealth Hendersonville

Thursday, August 21 | 10 am to 3 pm

100 Hospital Drive, Hendersonville

Look for The Blood Connection Mobile Donor Unit near the Valet parking lot.

Donors will receive up to $40 in rewards!

To make an appointment, visit thebloodconnection.org and search for the Sponsor Code 23AC.

The Blood Connection is a non-profit organization. A person can donate blood every 56 days. Donors must be 16 years or older and weigh more than 110 lbs. to donate. Sixteen-year-old donors are required to have written consent to donate blood. Before you donate blood, make sure that you drink plenty of water and eat a healthy meal. TBC Donor ID Card (preferred) or photo ID is required to donate. Gift cards and other incentives are non-transferable.

[i] Meyers DG, Strickland D, Maloley PA, Seburg JK, Wilson JE, McManus BF. Possible association of a reduction in cardiovascular events with blood donation. Heart. 1997 Aug;78(2):188-93. doi: 10.1136/hrt.78.2.188. PMID: 9326996; PMCID: PMC484902.