The list could go on and on. Others see additional societal pressures at play. Dr. Scott Murphy, who is the medical director for the Red Cross Blood Services Penn-Jersey Region, told the News Hour that our fast pace of life might be blinding us to this important need. I think we have a hectic kind of frenzied lifestyle in the United States. Among married couples in 75 percent of the families, both husband and wife work.
People have much less free time.
This has resonance for each of us. Yet, should we or one of our loved ones suddenly find ourselves in need of blood, all considerations of time pale in significance. While medical science has made so many other advances, there is no substitute for human blood. It is up to each of us to take the hour it requires to give a pint at least a couple of times a year. The lack of a pint of blood should never stand in the way of a surgeon's performance of his or her mastery, or the need of a cancer or sickle cell patient.