It’s In You To Give

The first time I gave blood was back in high school.

I remember feeling glad to help out, I wasn’t freaked out of needles and the best part was free juice and cookies when I was done. But when they took out the needle and I swung my legs down to get up, I fainted.

Since then I hadn’t given blood, I didn’t want a repeat of that experience and then over the years I had the excuse related to pregnancy and breastfeeding.

But I decided to give it another shot☺.

I feel awful it took me this long to go back, it was a piece of cake.  At a local mobile clinic they checked me in, signed me up, asked questions, filled in forms, tested my hemoglobin, asked more questions, sat me back, inserted the needle and pumped my blood for a few minutes, unhooked me, put on a band-aid, fed me cookies and juice (some things never change) and thanked me continuously for what I had done.  All that in less than an hour.

Sure there were a few questions, even lots of questions and a pin prick but in the grand scheme of things it was so simple, so quick and my donation has so much potential for so many lives.  Whether it’s a cancer patient, someone undergoing heart surgery, a car crash victim or what have you…every drop counts.  Some of the stories on the Canadian Blood Services website ( https://www.blood.ca/ ) had me in tears.

I’m glad I donated blood, after all as they say ‘Donate blood, it’s in you to give’.