I was chatting to the giant the other day about blood donation. Yes, it is the kind of conversation that can come up in our house. I was reading a piece that outlined the decline in donations that occurs during national celebrations such as international football tournaments etc. With the Olympics and the Jubilee this year, there's concern that donations will hit further rock bottom than they already have (economy is also a major factor).
It was only while chatting that the giant revealed he'd never given blood. I was stunned. How do people NOT give blood? I mean, in my case it's obvious- I have a rare blood clotting condition. I am 100% dependent on enough people with my rare blood type donating but can do nothing to return this favour. It hurts when I read that commonly used statistic: 96% of us rely on the 4% who give blood.
It was only when I said 'but doesn't your work provide a donation day? Or wouldn't you have thought about going with friends?' that his blank look really hit home. No one the giant knew in his daily routine was giving blood and certainly not on a regular basis.
I tweeted about this and had another shock- the only people replying were people like myself, who couldn't and wanted to as they understood the crucial need for blood donation. I simply couldn't wrap my head around it. Those who can in my family all give blood, we've learned what it means to be saved by it and as my sister once said 'some day, some one's blood may help save my sister, I want to do the same in return'.This from a girl who is rigid afraid of needles.
It prompted me to write this blog post to encourage you to give blood, encourage friends and family and be a superhero and literally save lives. If you do, please let me know. I'll be so proud of you!
For information about UK donations, please visit here.
9 comments:
I'm a regular blood donor. Don't worry, there are some of us around! I've given 40 units and plan to continue to go as regularly as they'll have me. I need to work on Jim to join me again though. He was regular, but has lapsed.
I'm not in the UK. Used to give blood but stopped for no good reason. We have regular drives at work and a close colleague is the coordinator. It's time to start again. Thx for the extra nudge.
I have never given blood. I really have no specific reason other than the few times when I would have been able to (via Blood Drive) I was either: sick, had a tattoo within the last year, or pregnant with Little Man. Now that we know about his genetic disorder, I don't know that either of us will ever be able to give blood...I'll have to ask the metabolic doctor about that...
I understand the need, though. I almost lost one of my best friends because of complications during her pregnancy that required blood transfusions. Since that experience, she's encouraged everyone she knows to donate blood....and she's petrified of needles. I don't know how she does it in the first place.
It's a great cause but unfortunately, here in the US, giving blood can be a politically tricky endeavor. There are some serious discrimination laws around giving blood which are hard to ignore. Even if you've traveled in the UK in recent times, you're prohibited from giving blood. Go figure, right?
I gave blood fairly regularly until I became too anemic and started having bad reactions. So sad that fewer people are donating!
I'm usually a regular donor. My February service trip to Nicaragua (malarial area) means I can't donate for a year; I didn't realize that before I went. But it was an amazing trip!
I can't donate as I have acupuncture at least once a month. Acupuncturists were able to provide patients with a certificate that enabled them to give blood, but this has been stopped in a EU harmonisation programme a while back. It's shocking because acupuncturists train for several years in safe practice to ensure they don't put anyone at risk and I believe, hand to heart, that there is absolutely no risk. More information about this here: http://acupuncture.org.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1820:blood-donation-after-acupuncture. Perhaps there should be a public campaign to bring the certificates back?
I donate regularly. I understand that some people just don't think about it but I don't understand people that consciously do not want to donate.
To me it's similar if not quite the same as organ donations. In Germany they are starting to send cards to everybody on a regular basis to remind them to register as an organ donor, no pressure, just a reminder for those who always wanted to but never actually did. I love that. They should do the same for blood doantions.
Here in Canada they have rather stringent rules about blood donation. Most of these rules make sense, but not all: because I lived in France in 1989-1990 and may have been exposed to mad cow, I cannot donate :( I call each year to see if they have changed the rules, but still haven't been able to donate. Silly!
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