"Donating blood weakens you for weeks" is probably the most common myth out there, and it's simply not true for a healthy adult. Your body replaces the plasma volume you donate within 24-48 hours, and red blood cells are fully replenished within a few weeks — well inside the 90-day gap blood banks already require between donations. Most donors feel completely normal after a short rest and a snack at the camp.

"It hurts for days afterward" also doesn't hold up. The needle prick itself is a brief pinch, similar to a routine blood test, and any soreness at the site typically fades within a day. Bruising can happen occasionally, same as with any injection, but it isn't the norm and isn't something to worry about.

"Vegetarians and vegans can't donate" is another one worth retiring — diet has no bearing on eligibility as long as your hemoglobin level clears the bar (12.5 g/dL), which plenty of vegetarian donors comfortably do. And "donating blood can give you a disease" gets it backwards: every needle and collection kit used at a registered blood bank or camp is sterile and used exactly once, so there's no risk of infection to the donor from the act of donating itself.