Chrysalis

I volunteered at a local blood drive today. Friends of mine coordinate 3 or 4 drives each year through their church. They are usually quite successful in rallying blood donors. For the past couple years, I’ve helped out at either the registration table or in the canteen. I particularly enjoy working the canteen because I get to serve the folks who’ve just given blood. They usually want either apple or orange juice, so I pull a cold bottle from the cooler as they sit down at a row of tables, filled with nuts, cookies, fudge, deviled eggs, and other tempting foods. After someone donates blood, the technician tells them to sit down in the canteen area, eat and drink whatever they need, and rest for at least 15 minutes. That’s usually enough time for a donor to regain their strength before going on their way. I know many of the donors, so helping them after they donate blood also gives us a chance to visit. If anyone has a problem, I can always call for assistance from a technician.

Blood donation services, such as the American Red Cross and Inova Blood Donor Services – the two companies that serve the area where I live, always need blood donors.  Particularly with summer coming on, the demand for blood increases dramatically. When a person needs blood, receiving it usually makes the difference between life and death. I know. I was on the receiving end of that drama once. Without going into details, I collapsed in Vancouver, BC at the end of a two-week vacation. Not long after I was examined in the ER, I was started on an IV connected to a pint of whole blood. After a couple tests, it was discovered that I had a bleeding ulcer and, in a fairly short period of time prior to my collapse, I had lost 40% of my blood.

After I recovered enough so that I could fly home and some time after the ulcer healed, I got to thinking about giving back; donating blood. I realized that all because some unknown person walked into a clinic somewhere and donated blood, I was pulled through a rather dicey health crisis. Someone literally saved my life. By donating blood I would be able to help someone else. But, at the time I checked into donating, there were a lot of restrictions. Even after my ulcer healed, there was a waiting period. There was also the matter of a medication many folks take for high blood pressure, but which I took because it controlled a heart arrhythmia I developed in my 20s. So when the opportunity to help at a blood drive came up, I decided lending a hand was the least I could do. Until today.

During a slow period between donors, I was talking to my friend and he told me that some of the prescription medication restrictions for blood donors have been relaxed. I walked over to a group of technicians and asked one of the them about the medication I was taking. She looked it up and asked me a few questions. It turns out that because my heart arrhythmia is under control, the medication is not a show stopper. Hooray! I thanked her, walked back to the canteen and signed up to donate blood at the October blood drive. I feel good about it. I know that most of my volunteer work in my community helps others, but there’s something about donating my blood that feels special. You might say I feel it in my blood.