Today my husband gave blood. It was his first donation in three years, which he was surprised about as he thought he'd been relatively recently. Which he hadn't. Anyway, we all trudged along with him for moral support, and of course, for me to take some photos. I think the staff probably thought I was mad, but hey ho, one man's feast and all that!
So he got comfy and pretended to be brave in front of our daughter whilst he was punctured. She held his hand and watched with fascination.
Having read about blood donation on the National Blood Service website, I found that only 4% of the population donate blood. Collected blood is used for surgery, neonatal/obstetrics and in ITU, as well as for cancer patients. When I worked in ITU, we used gallons of the stuff, and it truly made a huge difference. Once, I donated at a session near to one of the collection and distribution centres, and two days later I put up a bag of what could have been my blood! At least, I think it was: the donor number was very similar.
Giving blood is a rewarding experience. The staff are friendly and professional, they appreciate you for giving up an hour of your time, and the best bit is at the end when you can sit down for a cuppa and some chocolate or crisps (and you are encouraged to go back for seconds!), and feel happy in the knowledge that you have helped to save a life. Honestly.
It does hurt when that needle goes in. It is a big needle. It needs to be to allow your blood to drain into the bag. The pain goes away very quickly, though. If you gave a little under a pint of your blood away to someone who really needs a little under a pint to take their pain away, isn't it worth it?
If you're interested in becoming a donor, click here to find out more or ring 0300 23 23 23
A bag of whole blood.
Ha...my two little ones were fascinated by the whole thing too. Made it seem all the more worthwhile to know that they'd recieved an education too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder, I probably haven't given for 3 years either. It used to be so convenient when the bloodmobile came to McVities near work (and yes, they supplied the biscuits!). And lots of folk would get encouraged out to the van. Right, off to find my local session.
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