I still remember the first time I walked into the air-conditioned room where the annual blood donation drive was in progress, on my office premises in Bengaluru. A pamphlet in the cafeteria about the Blood donation drive had captured my attention, a couple of days before. Having ignored many such opportunities in the past, I was ready to overcome my inhibitions around donating blood and its possible consequences. The year was 2007, and I was relatively new at my workplace. I remember, no one had coaxed me into making this "bold move”, if you may call it that.
I must admit, I was nervous when I walked into the room, where I could see some medical interns going about their job, drawing blood from my co-workers. None of the donors seemed to be in any kind of distress or discomfort, even though they were being bled. That was a good sign, to begin with. I thought to myself, "It’s not that painful after all". When it was my turn, I gathered all my courage and consoled myself, "I’ll be fine". And 10 minutes later, I had conquered yet another fear. I remember some people saying that you feel weak, dizzy after donating blood. But nothing of that sort happened. I was absolutely feeling good. Sipping a glass of fresh fruit juice, after my first blood donation, I felt satisfied thinking that my donation will perhaps save a life. It probably did.
If you enjoyed your first ride on a scary roller coaster, you’re likely to do it again. When it comes to conquering your fears, it's always nice to have a good first experience because that encourages you to do it again. I have actually lost exact count of how many times I have voluntarily donated blood, but definitely more than 15 times since my first attempt. Since 2017, I have ensured that I donate blood at a blood bank nearby, every quarter, which translates to 4 units of blood donated every year. And every time, I walk out feeling good that my little gesture might save some lives in distress.
In my short journey, as a regular blood donor, I have encouraged some of my friends and co-workers to donate blood occasionally. While there have been a couple of people who have chosen to tread on my path, I've really found it difficult to convince many others. The inherent fear of a needle penetrating your vein and the thoughts of blood loss and resulting weakness and discomfort probably keeps many healthy people away from taking the leap. I feel donors who donate blood regularly, have a huge role to play to liberate such people from their inhibitions. Blood banks, hospitals, medical professionals, NGOs can also play a vital role in increasing awareness as well as encouraging more and more blood donations. While I believe that donating blood should be a matter of personal choice, hospitals could encourage regular donors by giving them incentives like a free basic annual check-up, etc.
On a recent visit to a popular blood bank in town for my regular blood donation along with a friend who is also a donor, the phlebotomist (medical professional who draws your blood) recognised us since we go there often. She said they're really having a shortage of blood for certain blood types and requested us to encourage our colleagues and friends to come over and donate blood.
Blood is one of those things that medical science hasn’t yet figured a way out to synthesise. Until that day, the only way a needy patient's life can be saved is if people like you and me go out and donate blood. Unfortunately, there is no alternative.
Sometimes, just a thought that the blood you donate today could save the life of a loved one tomorrow, may be motivation enough to make you do it. As I write this, my only hope is at least a few of my readers will give it a try, at least once. Like I said, if you feel good the first time, you will want to do it again and again.
Still having second thoughts? Read this: Benefits of donating blood
Image credit: istockphoto.com
I must admit, I was nervous when I walked into the room, where I could see some medical interns going about their job, drawing blood from my co-workers. None of the donors seemed to be in any kind of distress or discomfort, even though they were being bled. That was a good sign, to begin with. I thought to myself, "It’s not that painful after all". When it was my turn, I gathered all my courage and consoled myself, "I’ll be fine". And 10 minutes later, I had conquered yet another fear. I remember some people saying that you feel weak, dizzy after donating blood. But nothing of that sort happened. I was absolutely feeling good. Sipping a glass of fresh fruit juice, after my first blood donation, I felt satisfied thinking that my donation will perhaps save a life. It probably did.
If you enjoyed your first ride on a scary roller coaster, you’re likely to do it again. When it comes to conquering your fears, it's always nice to have a good first experience because that encourages you to do it again. I have actually lost exact count of how many times I have voluntarily donated blood, but definitely more than 15 times since my first attempt. Since 2017, I have ensured that I donate blood at a blood bank nearby, every quarter, which translates to 4 units of blood donated every year. And every time, I walk out feeling good that my little gesture might save some lives in distress.
In my short journey, as a regular blood donor, I have encouraged some of my friends and co-workers to donate blood occasionally. While there have been a couple of people who have chosen to tread on my path, I've really found it difficult to convince many others. The inherent fear of a needle penetrating your vein and the thoughts of blood loss and resulting weakness and discomfort probably keeps many healthy people away from taking the leap. I feel donors who donate blood regularly, have a huge role to play to liberate such people from their inhibitions. Blood banks, hospitals, medical professionals, NGOs can also play a vital role in increasing awareness as well as encouraging more and more blood donations. While I believe that donating blood should be a matter of personal choice, hospitals could encourage regular donors by giving them incentives like a free basic annual check-up, etc.
On a recent visit to a popular blood bank in town for my regular blood donation along with a friend who is also a donor, the phlebotomist (medical professional who draws your blood) recognised us since we go there often. She said they're really having a shortage of blood for certain blood types and requested us to encourage our colleagues and friends to come over and donate blood.
Blood is one of those things that medical science hasn’t yet figured a way out to synthesise. Until that day, the only way a needy patient's life can be saved is if people like you and me go out and donate blood. Unfortunately, there is no alternative.
Sometimes, just a thought that the blood you donate today could save the life of a loved one tomorrow, may be motivation enough to make you do it. As I write this, my only hope is at least a few of my readers will give it a try, at least once. Like I said, if you feel good the first time, you will want to do it again and again.
Still having second thoughts? Read this: Benefits of donating blood
Image credit: istockphoto.com
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Very inspiring read, hope this inspires some amongst us to make that first leap.
ReplyDeleteVery good read.. thanks for spreading the good word around! :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked my post. Maybe you should give blood donation a try. It sure feels great. Let me know if you need any guidance.
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