Make a Difference by Giving Blood!
I have to admit that I am about as squeamish as a person can be. Sometimes, when my husband comes home and tries to tell me about something he saw at work (he is an Infectious Diseases doctor), I have to sit down because I feel light headed. I have even put my head through a wall in a intenstive care unit because I fainted at the sight of the patients receiving care and all of the tubes and whatnot that were attached to them. (Did you know that people come out of the woodwork when you create a big crash in an ICU?)
I was the last person you would think would want to give blood. However, last week, I went by my church on blood drive day to do some committee work and the lovely lady at the blood drive talked me into it.
I was amazed by the number of screening questions that preceeded the actual donation. I later learned that the pool of potential donors has shrunk because of increased screening related to travel, personal activities, and medications. The Red Cross is desperate to find new donors to make up for the number of previous donors who are now screened out of the process.
For those of you who shy away from giving blood, take it from a wimpy person who never thought she would EVER sit down in a blood donation chair: It really is not that bad! The Red Cross staff were gentle with me and the process did not hurt at all. They were amused that I spent the entire time that I was giving blood with one arm outstretched and the other with a cell phone firmly attached to my ear. I told them it helped me to be distracted from what was going on with my other arm. I was able to do business while still doing some good.
If you are someone who has never given blood before, please think about giving blood the next time the Red Cross is conducting a drive in your area. If I can do it, anyone can!
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