Blood Positive

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” ~ Winston Churchill

      August 2010, (A lazy Saturday afternoon): My room-mates were planning the evening's itinerary. Our Saturday's schedule generally included late lunch followed by a couple of beers and probably a couple* of pegs (*couple is a relative term). Out of the blue (no disrespect to Aakash Chopra), a friend called up. They urgently required A+ve blood for an acquaintance who met with an accident. They were finding it hard to get donors without traces of alcohol in their blood. Possibly, the aftermath of a Friday night.

     We reached the hospital within the next 20 minutes. Along with my friend, there were a couple others who had come over to donate blood. They were in need of 12 packets of blood, a sizable amount. We got our weight & blood pressure checked, filled up a couple of forms and donated our share of blood. Next morning we were informed that the patient had survived a 4-hour surgery on her left hand. A packet of juice & a couple of biscuits followed by a good night's sleep helped us in regaining the donated blood.

     Feb 2012, (Monday Morning Blues): I hate Mondays. They remind me that weekends are too short. And I prefer to be left alone on Monday morning. I was at my grumpiest best when I received a call from Jayadeva Heart Hospital. They wanted blood, and were on the lookout for donors. I asked my colleague to drop me off at the Hospital and walked into the emergency section. A lady was scheduled for a bypass surgery and required blood. I donated my share and prayed for the lady's quick recovery.

     Thanks to Aditi, I donated blood every 6 months. Initially, I was highly apprehensive about donating blood. But, after reading about it I felt that it would help a lot of people in need. Since then, I have been part of regular blood bank activities for the last 4-5 years. I felt really happy after donating blood on those two specific instances since I contributed my part in saving a life.
     Over these years, I've come across a lot of people who are hesitant to donate blood. They feel that it might take something away from them. A lot of people expect to be paid for donating blood without obliging to the greater cause of serving humanity. In one strange case, A father refused to accept donors who were working in the IT field (he presumed that all software engineers smoke cigarettes & drink alcohol often). All this is a consequence of misinformation.
     Here's a few facts about blood donation:
1. Any healthy person between the age of 20 & 50 can donate blood as long as they have no traces of alcohol, steroids, medicines in their blood (ideally 48-72 hours should pass).
2. Donating is relatively safe, but some donors have bruising where the needle is inserted or may feel faint.
3. Potential donors are evaluated for anything that might make their blood unsafe to use.
4. The donated blood is regenerated within 24-48 hours in the body.
       Blood donation is a great way to serve society. Saving lives doesn't necessarily mean that we need to wear a cape and tag ourselves as super-heroes. Spread the word, donate blood!

 “`We be of one blood, thou and I..." - Rudyard Kipling

P.S: A 7-month old baby wanted O -ve blood in Jayadeva. Donors, please contact the emergency section of the hospital.