So they do blood drives at my work every three months or so. When the emails come out asking for donors I always happen to accidentally click the delete button. Oops! Where did it go? Oh well. And I move on with my life. This time, the emails kept coming and the little angel on my shoulder that wills me to do good deeds got a little stern with me so I decided to sign up.
I don't think I can explain in a way you might actually understand how nervous I was. The blood drive wasn't for another five days and I already had a knot in my stomach. Then THE DAY came. I was mid splash washing my face that morning when the dread hit me. Thank God I signed up for an early time slot because I wouldn't have made it through the day. I was so worked up I was nauseous. Then one of my sweet coworkers with the best of intentions told me I was supposed to fast so I didn't eat anything. (I'm sure you've guessed by now I'm a first time donor)
When it was time for me to donate I went outside to their large portable donor trailer and was greeted by a very cheerful man who didn't look like he intended me any harm. He said I looked pail, I told him it was my first time and I hadn't eaten. He promptly sent me back to get some food in me (Funny how eating made me a little less woosy) and when I came back he took the time to explain the process so I would know what to expect. I was still freaking out, and honestly considered bailing and running away without glancing back, but I had committed to something and I don't back out on my commitments.
All of the staff were fantastic. From the intake person who had to deal with me staring at her doe-eyed forgetting my address because I was so nervous to the phlebotomists that set me up to begin my blood donation. One lady was super awesome and saw how tense I was and was telling jokes, singing along to the radio, and just making me feel as at ease as I possibly could be.
Since I dared not look at my own blood being pumped out of my arm, I chose to stare at the wall. On the walls they had all of these true life local stories about how blood donations saved people's lives. This is when it all clicked for me. Suddenly I understood that being uncomfortable for just a few minutes meant actually SAVING people. I am so happy they had those stories up there. I was so into them I started looking around for more to read.
When I was done I got my juice and cookies and kept thinking about how much blood I could have donated over the years. I know it sounds silly, but I never really thought about what donating blood meant and did for the community.
I really encourage everyone to make this a regular part of your giving back. It is free, takes maybe an hour of your time tops, and you are doing something incredibly significant.
UBS can count on regular donations from me from this point forward. read more