Like most people, I’m not overly fond of needles, but every 56 days, I can be found at the blood donor clinic with an IV sticking out of my arm as my blood drips into a collection bag.
In Vernon, blood donor clinics are held at Trinity United Church, and at the last clinic, I was in and out in under an hour. On the one hand, I was pleased to be processed so quickly. On the other hand, I was disheartened to see how few people had turned out to give blood.
I urge all of those who can give blood to do so. Obviously, there are a number of reasons why people can’t: from age restrictions to religious reasons, from having a communicable disease to having lived in certain parts of the world.
But for those who can, it is one of the easiest ways of giving back. If I won the lottery, I’d be giving away a lot more of my income to worthy groups, but since the chances of winning the lottery are close to nil, I have limited funds to donate to the groups I support.
But giving blood costs you nothing but a little bit of your time. Every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood, much of which is used under emergency situations. In Canada, hundreds of thousands of people each year receive blood components or blood products following accidents, during surgery or for cancer treatments, burn therapy, hemophilia and other blood-related diseases.
The average amount of blood in one person is five litres or 10.5 pints; there are approximately 450 ml of blood in a unit, and on average, 4.6 units of blood are required per patient. In my case, my blood type is one of the rarer types out there, so I’m happy to give some of it away.
The process is so simple. You make an appointment online or by calling 1-888-2-DONATE, you show up and are greeted by a friendly face, who directs you to an RN who then does a quick finger prick to check your hemoglobin levels. And then it’s off to a private booth to answer a few questions.
The worst part, for many, is not the needle, it’s the questions each donor is asked by an RN, in private, no matter how many times you’ve donated in the past. For many of us, the questions are not only amusing, but horrifying invasive.
The questions begin easily enough with, “Do you feel well today?” They’re followed by questions such as “Have you spent a total of six months or more in France from Jan. 1, 1980 through Dec. 31, 1996.” And then there are the downright strange questions: “Have you, in your past or present job, taken care of or handled monkeys or their body fluids?”
These are followed by the really personal, involving sexual habits and drug consumption. It’s hard not to feel like a 12-year-old giggling in a Grade 7 sex education class, but after the tainted blood scandal back in the ‘90s, I’m more than happy to answer questions that will keep our blood supply safe.
But once that’s all done, a friendly volunteer takes you to an available bed. There, you recline in comfort, have a blood pressure cuff attached to your upper arm and are taken care of by an RN as your blood is collected. There is something incredibly comforting about being taken care of by a nurse. Maybe it’s because my mom is no longer here, but I’ll take all the TLC I can get. And if it means I’m doing some good at the same time, so much the better.
And when you’re all done, the same friendly volunteer escorts you to the snack table. There, they stamp your card with the date of the donation and you’re encouraged to enjoy a juice box or coffee and as many cookies as you want to boost your blood sugar.
And then you get a sticker to wear that tells your friends and family, “Be nice to me, I gave blood today!”
Mother Teresa urged people to “give until it hurts.” And I promise, it only hurts a little.
