I Learned Something Important About Blood Types That You Might Not Know

The Red Cross put out a news release urging people of all races and ethnicities to give blood in order to have a more diverse blood supply. What exactly does that mean? Well, the Red Cross explains, "Some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups," and that "...blood from someone with a similar racial or ethnic background is important to decrease the chance of complications." I thought blood was blood. I thought that a white man's AB blood would work in a Black man's AB veins. Was I not educated right on blood types? Maybe we know more now than we used to.

If a person is dying on the table and needs blood are they going to refuse it if it comes from someone of a different color? If they do, they're a loser and a disgrace. Shame on them. Someone made an effort to save lives through blood donation. But there are unique situations where a closer match would be needed to avoid complications from transfusion therapy. Everyone of every race should donate blood if they can. We all bleed red. The sooner we realize that the better off we'll be.