Giving Blood Is a Rush

I donated blood today for the second time ever, and I felt so good about myself afterward. The first time I donated I was so nervous and I refused to look at either the needle in my arm or my blood flowing into the bag. It didn't hurt too much but when I thought about the needle stuck in my arm it made me feel a bit panicky. But a few weeks later when my official blood donor card arrived in the mail along with a letter saying thank you and that my blood would help save someone's life, I made a mental decision that I was going to make it a habit of donating more frequently. Therefore, I waited until the two month mark when I became eligible to donate again and scheduled an appointment. This time around not only did it hurt less (I hardly even felt a pinch!) but I was done much quicker because I felt comfortable enough to squeeze my hand in counts of four to get the blood flowing faster. Most importantly, I felt very appreciated by all of the staff members.

Even if you don't like the sight of blood or are afraid of needles, I recommend trying to donate blood at least once. You may be surprised how easy and painless it is. According to the American Red Cross website, there is someone every minute of every day that is in need of blood. Another statistic that was rather shocking to me is that only 3 in 100 Americans donate blood. I am happy to say that I am one of those 3 and that I am helping someone in need. If you're looking for a place to donate, go to Red Cross's website, type in your zip code, and it'll pull up several locations on any given day that are holding a blood drive.

My new contribution to society will now be donating blood every 2 months. Like I told the volunteers at the blood drive, I'm young and healthy, I have no excuse not to donate!