“Would you like apple or orange juice?” I asked the young man as he woozily sat up from the donor station.
“Umm…I get juice?” he questioned, absentmindedly staring at the new bandage wrapped tightly about his elbow.
“First time donor?” I grinned at him, holding him by the other arm, leading him to the snack area.
“Thanks for donating,” I continued, “Every donation helps us meet a quota and save lives.”
He pointed to the apple juice container, and I poured him some, handing him a paper cup with its contents.
He reached for a package of trail mix and began to talk to the other donors.
“You ever do this before?” a nervous young woman asked me, eyeing the empty blood sample tubes and boxes of latex gloves.
I pulled my left sleeve up and showed her my contribution, making direct eye contact with her as I said, “It’s okay to be nervous. Everyone, even the blood donor veterans get a bit nervous, but it’s for a good cause. You’ll get a free t-shirt, some coupons, a chance to win something from the raffle, and help out a few people who really need it. Plus,” I laughed, “you filled out tons of paperwork, so might as well go through with it, right?”
She looked over at the other potential donors who scribbled on forms several feet away.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she nodded in reluctant agreement.
“What scares you about it?” I asked her gently.
“Not the needles, really. I’m just afraid of passing out,” she grimaced, looking at the donor station, where one young lady had her feet elevated.
“She probably forgot to eat lunch or have something a bit sugary beforehand,” I consoled her, “It happens to the best of us, but there are trained medical professionals here. You might get a bit dizzy, but you’re in the best place to receive care. A bunch of doctors and nurses running around,” I motioned to the people flitting about in white coats around the phlebotomists.
She sat down and said, “I’ll try it. Free food, and I’ll finally get to know my blood type. Do you know yours?”
“AB+,” I responded distractedly, making my way toward a large felt mass of red on the floor, “Only 4% of people in the world have it. You can take a blood type descriptive chart with you on the way out.”
A crowd gathered around the red felt mass and a few camera flashes went off.
I laughed with them, taking my camera as I yelled over my shoulder at the girl, “Sorry, I have to take a picture too, but thanks for giving it a go – you’re brave enough to see it through. I’ll bring you to get juice when you’re done.”
My friend had been dancing around in a blood drop costume to entice people into the gymnasium. She fell over mid-spin:
Every blood donation helps. Visit your local blood center or donation event today to make a life-saving contribution.
This post was written on behalf of World Blood Donor Day at BloggersUnite.org
*CNN reports on a long-standing policy that bans homosexual men from donating blood. What do you think about this issue? Is it a matter of public safety or outdated legislation that teeters into discrimination?
