Donating Blood Has Benefits

by Cara Russell

Thursday, June 6, 12-6 p.m., Eastsound Fire Station

When I was a child, sometimes my dad would come home in the evening with a small gauze-bandage wrapped around his right elbow. When I asked him what it was for, he told me that he had just donated blood. I was impressed as he was a small hero to me, and I realized then that he must have been an invisible hero to those who benefited from his modest sacrifice. Secretly I wanted to be like him, but publicly I was just too afraid that giving blood would be painful and mortally traumatizing.

I have always been afraid of such things as needles, spiders, fireworks, and even inflated balloons. The thought of giving blood would make my face turn pale purely because of the needle. I would imagine a needle tip being the size of a Tropicana Orange Juice straw.

But last year I donated blood for the first time. Perhaps it was going with a friend, or just giving myself a grand pep talk. But there I was, doing it. Friendly volunteers from the Lions Club, OIFR, and PSBC surrounded me—everyone with a playful ease, that cured my fears right away.

The staff from Puget Sound Blood Center (PSBC) were confident, well trained, and incredibly personable. They were as good at making me feel at ease as they are at what they do. An independent community-based nonprofit organization, they serve more than 70 hospitals and clinics in Western Washington.

There was a short wait where I conversed with other donors, upbeat music streaming in from overhead speakers, and eventually I was whisked away to a gurney for my turn. The blood draw seemed to be over before I knew it, and I left the table feeling no different or lighter. I didn’t notice the pint that was no longer flowing through my body.

As I sat in a fold-out chair afterwards, eating my cookie, drinking my juice, and placing my name into the Lions Club raffle, I felt sort of proud of my little gauze bandage, as well as having conquered a fear.

But the true reward came when I found out my blood type and who my blood type benefits. Here’s a hint. Babies!

Donating blood is a positive and practically painless experience. And remember, one donation can save up to three lives.