Our Amazing Bodies

Here on the Amazing Bodies page, our School Nurse Kiera Heasly shares an amazing fact about the human body.

Did You Know?

An adult has approximately 1.5 litres of blood pumping through their body. Your blood plays a very important role in keeping our bodies healthy and strong!

Think of your blood as the ultimate 5-star recipe for keeping you alive and healthy! 

Just like making a delicious meal, it requires all the right ingredients in perfect amounts to make the perfect fuel for our bodies organ systems.

Ingredient 1: PLASMA - the superstar liquid in your blood. It's a mix of water, sugar, fat, protein, and salts. Its main jobs are to maintain blood pressure and volume and carry blood cells, nutrients, waste products, antibodies (the bodyguards that fight off germs), clotting proteins (that help when you get a cut), and even messages from hormones around your body!

Ingredient 2: RED BLOOD CELLS - These are the famous red guys you've probably heard about. They make up a big chunk of your blood and are shaped like little donuts with a flat centre. They're like tiny delivery trucks carrying oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body and bringing back carbon dioxide so you can breathe it out. They're real heroes!

Ingredient 3: WHITE BLOOD CELLS - These are the defenders of your body. They fight off infections and keep you healthy. While they're fewer in number compared to red blood cells, they're mighty! 

Ingredient 4: PLATELETS - These act as the repair crew of your blood. When you get a cut, these tiny cell fragments rush to the scene, stick together, and form a clot to stop the bleeding. It's like a natural band-aid for your body!

Reference: 

https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/blood-basicsStatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513312/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmy.clevelandclinic.org%2Fhealth%2Fbody%2F24836-blood&psig=AOvVaw2xV5s5ATFDJd_o4w2gdVpc&ust=1711065244097000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=2ahUKEwil8uHxhISFAxVRd2wGHZxcBUMQjRx6BAgAEBQ

Kiera Heasly

ENPS School Nurse