donor

I have a friend – E – you may remember her little introduction in “Rooting”. E is from New Mexico and we first become friends during our college years. She moved away after college but came back to TN soon after (no one can stay away too long). We’ve grown closer since working together and her friendship has blessed me immensely.

She’s shown up at my house with a homemade German chocolate cake after a breakup, assuring me she would help me pick up the pieces. She’s taken me to church. She’s given me tissues since I’m the #1 Crier at work but never have any. She’s the motivator when I’m whining about running. She’s my 5:30am cycling buddy. She’s one of those people who gives of herself to everyone she comes in contact with. She’s always giving little gifts (usually homemade), snacks, and tokens of encouragement. She’s one of those people we all want to be, need to have as friends, and is really a true example in many ways of Christ’s love.

Now – as perfect as she is, she has the gift of what I have deemed “badgering”. Of course, it’s all for good purposes and I mean that with a vast amount of love… I have joked with her the only reason God put her in my life was to teach me to say “No!” But, on a serious note… She has peste-, ahem, diligently tried to persuade me to donate blood for at least a year. She’s a regular giver, of course. Here are some of her pleas I have endured over the past year:

“One donation saves 3 lives!”

“Your blood replenishes itself in 24 hours! You’ll be okay!”

“You’ll be saving lives”

“You can save the lives of little babies!”

She always knows where to hit below the belt. Pulling the baby card. I’m not really sure why I have never donated. I think it’s part fear of not really knowing what to expect and part sitting so long with a needle buried in my arm. I told her this was my parting gift to her since she is leaving me to move back across the other side of the country.

Now, there are many reasons to donate blood and no, I am not talking about the free Twinkies you get to throw down when you’re finished. Although food is always a good incentive to get me to do something. More about that later.

What to Expect:

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience. Yours may be a little different.

♥ Apparently, some people expect to get paid for donating blood, but at Blood Assurance they do not pay you.

♥ You’ll read a sheet of information telling you who is and is not eligible to donate. It also tells you what to expect on your visit and how to take care of yourself before and after.

♥ You’ll have to answer several questions about your health history (mine was on a computer which was reviewed by the technician after I was finished).

♥ A finger stick will test your iron levels

♥ They will take your temperature and check your blood pressure (I always joke I’m borderline dead already because my blood pressure is so low which never ceases to amaze me!)

♥ They’ll get you nice and comfy in a reclining chair and check your veins. If you have an arm you prefer, they will take your donation from that arm. I didn’t care. My exact words were: “Pick whichever one is the most juicy.” The technician checked both and once she settled on the arm she was going to use, we got started.

♥ Cleaning the area. I’m not going to lie. I was really scared. It was at this point I may have started to get a little sweaty. They gave me an ice pack to put on the back of my neck to keep my body temperature from going crazy.

♥ the BIG moment

#baby

♥ They take several vials to send off for testing to make sure your blood is good to donate. I was told they test for around 23 different types of diseases.

♥ The whole actual process of giving only took about 10-15 minutes. They gave me a little ball to squeeze to keep the blood flowing.

Giving is better together.

♥ For me (again, this is my experience so someone else’s is going to be a little different) the worst part was getting the needle pulled out of my arm. That actually hurt worse than anything but I’m told that’s not really “normal” so hopefully next time will be better!

♥ They had me sit for a few minutes afterwards to make sure I was feeling good.

♥ Get your snack on, baby!

♥ They tell you to make sure you eat a good meal and no heavy lifting/strenuous activity for 24 hours. Of course, I didn’t listen to either of these instructions and got an extremely bad headache for the rest of the day and was really tired. So – listen to what they tell you. Eat some food and rest.

I’m really glad I donated. It made me feel like I did something completely pure and good for someone else – or a few others! I’m available to give again in May and I definitely am planning on make the trip back. Maybe I’ll take on the mantle of getting another newbie to convert.

until next time… xoxo, patty lauren