YOUR LUCKY DAY
Friday, January 13, 2023
Whether or not you are superstitious, we all get some chuckles out of Friday the 13th whenever that happens, so to channel some Clint Eastwood, “Well, do you feel lucky?”
If you live in Canada, if you need blood, it’s available in adequate supply all the time – that’s because people donate their blood and an organization obsessed with sanitary practices and nit-picky screening every time with every donation on top of their initial screening, so when you need blood to save your life or help with your surgery or treatment recovery, there are blood products in stock.
Unless you are unlucky and you have that need for blood when supply is short, which it is right now, the need is more urgent than usual, and I’ve been asked to ask others to step up – so I’m asking you to give the gift of life. It takes some of your time, and it might inconvenience you a bit days you donate, but I would counter any objection or resistance with this question – “What is a life worth?” …
C’mon, it’s not that hard; in the time it takes to read your newspaper or watch a sitcom episode, you can donate blood. Free cookies and sugary drinks before you leave. And free parking (I go to the main clinic in Eau Claire Market in downtown Calgary. If you work downtown, you can donate on your lunch hour and walk both ways.)
I was thinking this Tuesday morning while I waited for my blood donation to be drained from a tube in my left arm …
I waited my turn.
I was early for my appointment, but I was taken in right away – even though the clinic was bustling, the service was first-rate, friendly and professional.
And kind.
They understand everyone cringes a bit when that needle (16 gauge) goes into your vein because it hurts. Not massively, but it’s not insignificant – and then the draining begins.
Time varies (I’m reminded by the phlebotomist each time – “hydrate with a minimum of 2L of water each day for 2-3 days before your donation, and eat a salty snack; yes, a medical professional recommends a breakfast of potato chips! – because the salt helps retain water), and as a result of that good practice, veins get larger and the blood flows faster”, and the apparent unspoken part – you can get going sooner, and we can start the blood-letting of the next person.
But the story isn’t that the time investment is minimal, and when we consider the time we waste each week, a short appointment every two months is a very tiny investment in saving lives.
Each donation of ½ litre of whole blood can save a life, so I thought, from what I’ve read before.
The nurse who checked me in explained my donation is then separated into four useful components that go into different blood products, so every donation doesn’t just contribute to saving one life but to four …
If you wish to give, there are many ways – it takes some effort initially. They have a rigorous screening process to ensure that donated blood is safe for the blood supply and for the people it helps, something we all benefit from because everyone who risks injury or illness in living might need a lifesaving transfusion. It might be your blood helping save someone you care about, but more likely, it will help someone you’ll never know, but their life will continue because you donate a gift your body makes.
I give whole blood once every two months – it’s good for my health, because my doctor wants to reduce my iron levels, and this is the best way to do it.
For people who don’t have my problem, you can give plasma – a process that takes longer for the donation process because it takes part of your blood and returns red blood cells to your body, so this allows for more frequent donations. This kind of donation is critical to the lives of many people suffering from a wide range of cancers, burns, diseases and many other disorders.
They always want more donors, and right now there is significant need for both whole blood and plasma.
If you’ve given blood before, you know how important it is, so why not start donating again?
If you’ve never given blood, don’t you think it’s time you helped?
Wherever you are, there is a clinic anxious to meet you, screen you and take your donation of life-saving blood – a step you’ll never regret.
Someone out there needs blood you can spare.
Make it their lucky day, make a call or go online to book the gift of life, please.