Last year, my grandmother was in the hospital. She was really sick and the doctors believed she was bleeding internally b/c her blood count was really low. During her hospital stay, she received 3 bags of blood. From that moment on, I vowed that I would donate blood. I never really got around to it but I saw the blood drives here and decided that I would start now.
There was a blood drive last Wednesday in the multipurpose room. I had never donated blood before and I figured I would go around the same time Jenn and Joanna were going so I wouldn’t be completely alone. Long story short, they deferred me because my hemoglobin was too low. But I really wanted to: 1)donate blood, 2) find out my blood type, and 3) fulfill my community service requirement. So I looked up donor centers in my area. Turns out there’s a center in the Metlife building by Grand Central. I brought a friend along and was able to donate that day (after stuffing my face with tons of greens and beans). My friend only planned on getting more information that day, but she was eligible to donate and went for it. It was a big thing for me b/c I’m not too fond of needles and that needle is so thick you can see through the hollow in it. Once it gets past the skin, you only feel an ache (and a sting when they hit the vein). The first nurse I had fished around my arm for a vein (and I got the bruise to prove it) and after calling the other nurse to see if she could find a vein (as if it were a challenge), they decided to try the other arm. The better nurse had a hard time finding a good one but did (on the first shot). I’m so glad she did b/c had she not, I would’ve come out of their with 2 stab marks and no blood donation. Everything went smoothly after that…for me.
My friend wasn’t so lucky. She seemed perfectly fine at the “canteen”, but 20 min later, she went to the bathroom, puked, and nearly passed out…twice. I guess her body had a problem readjusting its blood pressure, but eventually, she got better. So instead of staying for maybe one hour, we were there about 4 hrs. Anyways, that didn’t worry me. She hadn’t really planned to donate that day and hadn’t eaten much. I will definitely do it again. The nurses were really nice. The facility was really clean, and it doesn’t take that long (normally). I knew people needed blood if they’re in an accident or have a surgery, but I didn’t think about all the patients with chronic conditions that need blood products often and repeatedly. Also, during the holidays, apparently the need for blood goes up. So more donors are needed during certain times. I will donate blood again and as often as I can.
I hope everyone enjoys the holidays. Good luck with finals!!