I gave blood yesterday.
After hearing several news stories about an extreme blood shortage in the Bay Area, I decided that this was something that I could do, and something I would be willing to do if it made a difference.
Just a recap on the specifics in case you are like me, and haven't given blood since you were in college: You arrive to give blood, and are asked a bunch of questions in order to determine your eligibility. After that, they take your temperature, blood pressure, test your blood for iron (by pricking your finger), ask you a few more questions, and then put you in a recliner-type chair.
Then, they prick your arm, and hook you up to a bag and leave you alone for a while to let the blood collect. For me, the absolute worst part (and it wasn't really even that bad) was not the pricking of the arm -- it was the fact that they take the tube that is collecting the blood and tape the tube to your arm, so you can kind of feel the warmth of the blood that is flowing out of your body. That grossed me out for a minute or two, and then I got used to it. Jason pointed out that I can probably ask them not to tape it to my arm next time.
The blood collection process was surprisingly fast - mine took about 10 minutes from what I could tell. I brought my iPod, which I would highly recommend. It's a lot easier to chill to your iPod (I am listening to The Rule of Four on audiobook) than to try and read a book and mess with turning the pages while one of your arms is immobilized.
I went to the Blood Center of the Pacific here in SF to donate blood. There was a bar area where you could hang out afterward (it is CA State Law that you stay on site for 15 minutes after giving blood) and a volunteer would give you juice or coffee or water and snacks. It was a comfortable place to be for a minute or two.
The whole process is rather painless and quick (one hour from start to finish for me). It is a small part of your day, and means a lot to those who need it.
Quick facts about blood donation:
* Just one pint of donated blood can help save as many as three lives.
* 4.5 million Americans would die each year without life saving blood transfusions.
* Every three seconds someone needs blood
* Currently there is no substitute for blood. In a world that creates synthetic products for many natural things, blood must come from donors.
How to donate:
1) Go to the American Red Cross site to find out where to give.
2) In San Francisco, make an appointment at a Blood Center of the Pacific site. You can make the appointment online, and the locations are convenient - one on Masonic at Turk, and one downtown.
