Some of you already know this, but I feel I should give a bit of background ere beginning this post. You see, I work for the Community Blood Center in Kansas City. I'm a phlebotomist; that is, I draw the blood from donors, blood which ultimately goes to people who are, literally, dying for the lack of it. Now, I shan't go into any diatribe about the value of blood or why people should donate or any of that; gods ken ye've probably heard that often enough. If you're a donor, good on ye. If not, I'm sure your reasons are valid and sufficient. I'm not trying to drum up donors, y'see.
Every day I go to work, though, I am humbled. It is my honor, y'see, to be in the company of true heroes.
Aye, heroes, for that's exactly what my donors are. No, not for permitting me to stick a needle in their arms, though they certainly deserve a special award for bravery for that, but simply because they donate and ask nowt for it.
I believe a true hero isn't some flashy, death-defying, larger-than-life cartoon character, but is just an ordinary person who unselfishly and willingly gives of himerself for the betterment of hiser fellows. And blood donors are and do just that. Think of it, they willingly and with malice aforethought give a significant part of their most private organ, their blood, to total strangers so that those strangers may have another shot at life.
Donors ask nothing in return, not even the tiniest thank you - although, believe me, we thank them to pieces before, during, and after their donations. Oh, sure, we give them cookies and juice, but that's really just protecting our raw materials and making sure we'll be able to tap that particular person again; although there are those donors who swear they only donate to get the Nutter-Butters we give them. And we give them t-shirts and other gew-gaws, but all those are just miniscule tokens.
So, what is it, then, that spurs a person to willingly give such an intimate part of himerself to strangers? 'Tain't the cookies ... or the t-shirts, coffee cups, cheesy pens, clocks shaped like giant blood drops, or what have you. I'm sure that, for some, it's bragging rights or a way of upstaging their neighbors or co-workers. For others, maybe some sort of atonement for wrongs they've committed, whether actual or only in their minds. And I'm sure there are some who do it as an attempt to buy their way into their version of heaven. But, not all donors fit these categories. Not all.
For instance, I was at a high school the other day and a 16-year-old girl came up to me to donate. She was cute - no, she was gorgeous in that mid-teenaged way. She had a smile that made all male creatures, human or not, melt. She had a 4.0 grade average and wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. In short, she had it all.
And, as you might guess, she was more than a tad frightened. I mean, she'd never even had blood drawn at her doctor's office or anything. Of course, her "friends" had gleefully filled her head full of horror stories about how big the needle is and how excruciating the pain and how she would pass out and all that crap, so she was just a tad, shall we say, intimidated.
I asked her if she wanted to change her mind.
"NOOOoooooooo!!!" Her denial was adamant. Despite her very natural fear and the scare stories of those so-called friends, she was determined to see it through.
Okay, let's go, then. Later I asked her why she chose to donate. She told me she was doing it "just because I want to." She had no conscious idea as to why she wanted to - no pompous proclamation of saving humanity or anything - just that she wanted to.
And, that, my friends, is a hero. Oh, I mean no disrespect to the soldiers, public safety folk, doctors, teachers, et al. - they're every bit as heroic (for the most part) as their press proclaims. But, being a hero isn't flashy. It isn't filled with sturm-und-drang. It's not sirens screaming in the night or artillery booming across the countryside. It's the quiet ones. The lone student quietly and with sheer courage facing down his country's military might. Another student deliberately saying no to an angry policeman.
A hero is a blood donor.
14 comments:
You're absolutely right. Blood donors are the heroes!
What's this about clocks shaped like drops of blood? THAT had to be interesting....
I think I'll drag my guilty self off to the donor center this week because I do know they are needing A+ blood around here... and that just happens to be my type.
My father has donated blood, every month like clockwork for as long as I can remember. He's always considered it part of his duty to the human race in general and has always just done it.
First, the blooddrop-shaped clocks. They're cheesy. They're just as I described: a bright red (arterial, obviously) blood-shaped plastic thingie with a dial clock implanted in the fat end. The drop has a flat bottom so it'll stand up. That's all.
Don't worry about not donating. It's certainly not any sort of requirement, y'know.
Okay, Tracey, your turn. Good on your dad! I really can't say a whole lot more. How about you, now? Do you donate? You know, it needn't be every 8 weeks or the like, just once or twice a year helps immensely. Down here on the mobiles, each unit of whole blood we collect is filtered down in the lab into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Each component then goes to different people according to their needs; thus, that one unit of whole blood you gave helps save three lives. I imagine the same holds true where you are. So, while regular, frequent donations are wonderful, even one or two a year help.
There's also a great deal of medical evidence that regular blood donations have a beneficial health effect on the donor. It makes sense. Y'see, we replace our entire body (everything, all the cells) every 120 days or so. That includes our blood, of course. Also, we replace any blood that we use during the course of life (all those cuts, bruises, women's monthly, etc.). Well, when we "lose" a pint of blood, that's a pretty big order for our bone marrow - we're forced to replace a large quantity of blood at once. We bleed out, through our donation, a bunch of toxins, tired cells, and the like and replace them with brand new components. Sort of like an oil change in your car, or buying a new car. Make sense? The bottom line, then, is that we're forcing a large quantity of new blood to be made. This can't help but be good for us.
If you already knew this, thanks for bearing with me there. If you donate, good also on you. If not, 'tis no problem.
The Auld Scot
Well, sure, it may not be any sort of requirement; after all, it's not engraved in stone or anything...but it's a damn good idea to donate blood for a whole lot of reasons, many of which you've brought up here.
Guilty? Yeah, I feel guilty when I make an internal committment to donate blood; after all, I've received blood products, heavens knows my job requires me to remove blood from patients on a daily basis. Why shouldn't I give back?
But, timing can be everything. It just so happens that one time I was called and I'd just gotten a tattoo. Oops. Another time (many, actually) I've been sick or on some kind of medication. Other times I've dropped by the center on my way out of the building and found that they had no openings, and I'm not going to drive back in.
It's a simple matter of not making it something regular on my schedule.
But, I donated today. Got stuck twice as a matter of fact; the first stick wouldn't flash and draw. Second stick thought about it for awhile, but finally took off after a fair amount of readjustment. Believe me, TW, I'd have rather had you on the other end of that needle!
So, I've done my part for the next 8 weeks or so. Yay me. ;)
Actually, TW, I was told when I was put on my ms meds that I couldn't donate. I don't remember the reason why though.
Also, i've had the hep. series of immunizations... does that affect the donation eligibility? (I honestly have no clue there)
I knew that blood was 'cleaned' so to speak after it's donated, but I never knew it could help that many with one donation! Thats awesome, thanks for the education :)
As far as the CBC (my place) is concerned, MS meds are no problem at all. You say you were told you couldn't donate. By whom? The blood bank people or your doctor? If the blood bank folk, you might want to check with them again. Hels, you might want to check with your doctor, if hesh was the guilty party.
As to the Hep-B vaccine series, we just want to know because the vaccine leaves a marker that shows up on the Hep-B tests we do. That marker would indicate a positive result, meaning you could have Hep-B. If we know you've had the vaccine series, then, we just shrug and go on our way.
Blood isn't cleaned, per se, just filtered down into the components I mentioned. I think that's what you meant, but I wanted to set the record straight. And you're most welcome. *grin* Just ask Kate, she'll tell you just how happy I am to teach people.
It was my neurologist. He told me i'd not be able to donate. But if I can then i'd be more than happy to!
And I love learning new stuff, TW, so bring on the learnin'! ;)
Just ask Kate, she'll tell you just how happy I am to teach people.
He loves to teach. And, he's a marvelous teacher, too. He's also fun to teach *with* as well.
I've only seen him fail to teach one thing, and that was the imbicile student, not the teacher. Spreadsheets. Ugh. Spreadsheets was the subject. You'll never guess who the student was...
Your neurologist, eh? Tell me, Tracey, did hesh say *why* you couldn't donate? I ask because I'm just wondering if it might have been for medical reasons rather than your meds. If so, then that's between the two of you.
Aw, shucks, Kate, thanks for the compliments. Actually, that imbecile student you mentioned wasn't really *unable* to learn, she just had so little faith in herself that she dropped out without ever really trying. Too bad, too, because I think she would have had little trouble with the things once she overcame her innate self-doubt. Who knows, she may one day decide to re-enroll. I sure hope so.
The Auld Scot
All he said was that once I started treatment there was no blood donating. He never gave a reason, that I can remember. Of course the man was a miserable doctor so it could have just been him too!!!!
There are no medical reason that i'm aware of that would preclude donation TW. I don't have any kind of diseases, other than MS.
Spreadsheets huh? That would be enough to scare me off! ;)
Well hells bells why haven't I been commenting here?? :-)
Hi TW and all! Found this link on Kate's blog. Mind if I link you TW or would you rather keep this private?
Well, hel's bells, Jude, why *HAVEN'T* you been commenting here?
Nope, I dinna' mind if you link me, and thanks for doing so.
The Auld Scot
That I shall then! :-)
I have to fess up.
It IS the cookies.
It's always been the cookies. (And for some places, the juice - but not everyone has the really good juice!)
Mmmmm.
For the platelets, it's even better - warm blankets, a movie of your choice and HUGE cookies!
Orion
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