Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs lifesaving blood.

Ames and Iowa State this week have the opportunity to help the millions of people who need blood at the blood drive in the Memorial Union. The drive goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and started Monday and ends Thursday.

The fall 2015 semester blood drive drew about 2,500 donors, the largest in school history. However, that’s still a small portion of the eligible donors on campus.

Blood can be stored for up to 42 days, but one blood transfusion is usually three pints. One donor can generally provide about one pint of blood. A single car accident victim can need 100 pints of blood. More than 1.7 million people in this country are expected to be diagnosed with cancer within the year, and most of them will need blood during their chemotherapy treatments. Do the math. That means hospitals go through blood quickly.

So that means they need all the help they can get.

Especially if your blood type is O- or AB, you better get your studious butt to the Memorial Union to donate, as they’re the most needed blood types. O- is often the most requested by many hospitals and AB plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types, a blood type usually in short supply. Only 3 percent of people in the United States have AB positive blood type, according to the American Red Cross, and is often used in “emergencies, for newborns and for patients requiring massive transfusions.”

American Red Cross donor requirements include: anyone who is 17 years of age – or 16 with parental permission in some states – who meet height and weight requirements, usually at least 110 pounds, and are in good health. But if you’ve got the sniffles, an STD or traveled to an area where the Zika virus is vibrant, sorry, you’ll have to skip out on blood donations.

The only thing you have to lose is a pint of blood — which the body can easily restore — and about an hour of your time. But is that really losing considering you could help save up to three lives every time you donate? It’s not like it’s a long walk. For the amount of time it’d take you to walk to the Memorial Union, wait in that serpentine line for Panda and find a spot to sit, you could have sat in the donation chair and saved three lives.

Plus, you get free sugary treats, a colorful bandage and a sticker to show off your lifesaving contribution.