It only takes an hour to donate blood, but it could save someone’s life. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to donate blood. I was disheartened that I wasn’t able to complete my first donation. You see, I am a fainter. I don’t like needles. I really don’t like having blood taken. Even talking about it often makes me go weak at the knees. But I just felt really strongly that this was something that I needed to do. I felt so strongly about it that I became emotional thinking about it.
Since that first attempt, I have attempted it two more times. Each time I was unable to complete a whole donation. However, they assured me they were still able to use the small amount.
BENEFITS
- It doesn’t cost anything
- It only takes an hour
- You get a snack & drink at the end
- Each donation can help save three lives
I fall into the 4% that is obstetrics. After the birth of my daughter, I received a total of 3 units of blood over the course of two days. After that, I was also on iron supplements to help me get back to normal.
I’m not sure that I believe in fate but it’s quite interesting that I had attempted to donate blood 3 times & ended up needing 3 units.
Take the quiz to see if you are eligible to donate blood here.
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ORGAN DONATION
After my husband & I got married, we opted to be on the same Medicare card. While looking into how to go about that I learned that you can sign up to be an Organ Donor through Medicare. All it took was completing a flyer and we were both registered organ donors.
I’ve recently learned that with great doctors & surgeons, blood transfusions are not always required with an organ transplant. Miriam from But, Still Breathing had a double lung transplant at Houston Methodist on March 6, 2015. Her doctor, Dr Scott Scheinin, has made it his life’s work to becoming skilled in bloodless surgery in order to lessen bleeding & hemorrhaging during surgery, therefore lessening the need for blood transfusions. Even though lung transplants are usually considered to have a higher risk of blood loss of all the transplants, Miriam’s surgery was a wonderful success with very minimal blood loss.
To become an organ donor, register through Medicare here.
