


Before you fight, you must know what's at stake. Read carefully, then make your choice.

You've watched your favorite characters bleed for something they believe in, now it's your turn. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It's essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Each donation can save up to three lives.
But it's not a sacrifice everyone can make. At any given time only an estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population are eligible to donate blood, and less than 10 percent of those actually donate each year. The FDA has strict eligibility criteria to donate blood that every organization must follow.
Read below to learn about donation eligibility. If something on the list applies to you and you think you're not eligible, you can still join the fight (and our activation at SXSW). Just choose the other option at the end of the page. Ultimately, your eligibility to donate blood will be determined onsite by the American Red Cross, but please review below before signing up to ensure that your experience is as comfortable as possible.


DONOR DEFERRAL CRITERIA
INELIGIBLE TO DONATE IF

- Does not have personal identification on the date of your blood donation
- Donated blood in the previous 56 days
- Had cancer in the last 12 months
- Pregnant or have given birth within 6 weeks
- Have received any blood, tissue, or medical transfusions in the last 12 months
- Have had any serious medical emergencies or surgeries, including heart attacks, in the past 6 months
- Received any vaccines, including hepatitis B in the last 8 weeks
- Have traveled to a malaria-risk country in the past 12 months
- Have had a sexually transmitted disease in the last 12 months
- Are a man who has had sex with another man during the past 12 months
- Are not comfortable identifying as male or female.
- Have gotten a tattoo in the last 12 months
- Weigh less than 110 pounds
- Are currently taking antibiotics
- Are below the age of 18 and are:
- Shorter than 5' (male)
- Shorter than 5'6†(female)
- Have cold symptoms on the day of your donation

For a full list of the FDA's donor deferral criteria, please visit the American Red Cross website.