My mobile phone pinged this week and I had a what’s-all-too-frequent frown wondering, likely aloud,…. “what’s it now.” Business is tough, friends have needs, family has challenges, the stock-market has chaos, the world is half shutdown,..that alert doesn’t sound like the ice cream truck to me.
I covered my face with my hand and peeked through my fingers at the screen like 10-year old Dale watching “Jaws”, but smiled when I saw the reason for the reminder. A pain in the arm from a couple weeks ago, it was the Red Cross telling me my blood had been used.
Giving blood does not some easily to me. I don’t like hospitals, doctors, and “eek”, I don’t like needles. Although I donated little in high school and college, I took a 25 year hiatus from it and was lured back, while not kicking and screaming, I was definitely nervous and uneasy. Now, I’m almost a regular.
This recent donation was when I had a floating holiday in the middle of February. No friends had the day off, it was the middle of February, I really had nothing to do so I thought I’ll go to a blood drive. The Red Cross makes it easy with an AP that shows where and when, while letting you schedule a concierge like appointment.
I donate blood for a number of reasons, mostly the recipients I know need it, cancer patients, people in surgery, and accident victims which provides me the mental benefit that I’m doing some good in the world. I also have this strange belief (maybe required motivation) that I physically benefit in a red oil change sort of way. A little out with the old, in with the new… keep that bone marrow working process. Overall, it’s worth the always running behind schedule, pinch in the arm experience every couple month, and I get orange juice and Nutter-butter cookies after! If you don’t donate give it a thought.
And if you know someone in the Akron area that had a transfusion this week and now has a strange desire to listen to Warren Zevon while sipping Maker’s Mark and eating sour dough pretzels, tell them they are very welcome.