1. "My religion doesn't allow donations"

Many religions including Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Presbyterian and the Lutheran Church all support donation of any kind and they consider it a selfless and loving act.

2. "They won't try and save my life if they see I am a donor"

No way do professional doctors and nurses actually do this. Every person within the medical field tries their absolute hardest to save each and every life, even donors'.

3. "I have a medical condition"

The donation and transplant teams decide whether or not you will be able to donate- regardless of your medical history/illness. Anyone can sign up to be a donor.

4. "My family/I will have to pay for it"

There is absolutely no cost to the individual or family to donate organs or blood. If your bone marrow is needed, all travel expenses are reimbursed.

5. "People in the LGBT community can't donate"

There is not a federal law excluding a member of the LGBT community to donate blood. The health of the organs is what matters during donation, so certain processes may apply depending on a person's sexual history.

6. "They take them while I am living"

Unless you voluntarily sign up to be a blood donor or bone marrow donor, they do not take your necessary organs while you are living.

7. "I have to be related to the person that receives my donation"

Although common ancestry is used initially when looking for donors, most people only share a common ethnicity to their donor. These ethnics groups are very needed: Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, or Multiracial. It helps to have the same ethnic group to increase the diversity within the donation pool.

8. "I have a common blood type"

Even common blood types like O-positive and A-positive need donors too.

9. "I have tattoos/piercings"

Most of the time, people just getting piercings or tattoos need to wait just a month before they donate blood. This is just to ensure that there is no infection from the needles used. Also, new needles are used for each person during donations, so there is no need to worry about getting a disease from donation.

10. "I'm a vegan/vegetarian and I don't have enough iron"

As long as you eat plant-based foods high in Vitamin C and iron before donation, you should be fine! Vitamin C helps with iron absorption and iron helps regenerate the red blood cells that are taken during a donation. The person in charge of taking your blood will walk through your health and decide if you will be healthy enough to donate blood.