April 5, 2010 @ 9:09 am
To Save a Life
Rhode Island Blood Center, Barrington, VT (21)
I hate needles and am absolutely terrified at the effect they have on me, both physically and mentally. I vividly remember making a trip to my doctor’s office as a child. With two brothers in my home, quite often if one was sick, we all were. On this particular visit Sam would be accompanying me. Now this is the brother who had to mentally prepare himself before having his IV removed after undergoing an appendectomy, so I really wasn’t confident in his ability to console. Anyhow, as I saw the sharpness of this long, thin piece of metal approach me, my chest began to move. My brother whispered in the background, “That second shot’ll really light you up.” My chin quivering and the tenderness of my skin aching before the first touch of the needle, the sharp point then inched nearer and nearer. Heavy sobs filled the room and then came the piercing blow to the right cheek of my buttox. The initial jab was dreadful but as the antibiotics penetrated my body, for a moment I felt as though I were dying, that life was over, I’d been scarred forever and that small laceration would quite possibly leave me unrecognizable. I know, I know, rather dramatic but I was seven.
Anyhow, my fear of needles has become more manageable (a.k.a I don’t cry anymore, I just hum repeatedly to hasten the process), but it’s still something with which I continue to struggle. Consequently you can imagine the irony of this experience. I was super excited however as this would be completely new, but also I’d found a way to help with blood donation without actually sacrificing some of my crimson juices. Things were lookin’ up!
The Rhode Island Blood Center, the only source of blood for the state, must collect between 240 and 280 pints of blood daily in order to adequately supply their communities. With more than 3,000 blood drives administered annually, and the help of committed volunteers, this center remains in the top three percent of all centers in this nation.
With the short drive behind us, we entered into the church where the blood drive would commence. Consultation rooms were prepared and tables were aligned. There were gloves, bags, and of course needles throughout the designated area. I wasn’t nearly as apprehensive as I thought I’d be, simply anxious to get the blood a’flowin (no pun inteded). At each blood drive, there’s an area arranged where donors are to recover. It’s full of cookies, pastries, juices and water and it allows them time to replenish and make their way back to the land of the living. I would be making sure donors were never without fluids, and that they remained upright in chairs as opposed to horizontally on the floor. I mean can you imagine? With my luck it’d be like the domino effect. One would flatline and then another would wipe out. The anticipation was mounting!
Soon after, one by one people began registering. With a goal of 40 donors for the day, already they were piling in. After answering questions such as, “Do you have a cold,” or “When were you last out of the country”- both to which answers would have disqualified me- patients were ready to donate. I thought the process would really affect me, and it did, but not in any way how I’d originally imagined. The blood, the medical equipment, had become barely noticeable. Everyone seemed calm with heads tilted to speak with the person next to them. Parents were meeting ministers and students were greeting teachers. Then, I was so focused on passing juices, making everyone feel welcome, chatting about UK basketball, that I was only phased by the droves of people waiting, taking time from their day, to contribute to the life of another.
To save a life. I’ve thought about this over and over since leaving the drive. With each pint of blood collected, three lives would survive. Three children would graduate, three mothers would tuck their sons in bed at night, and three friends would gather for Sunday brunch once again. Honestly, I was always aware of the importance of blood donation but I wasn’t able to truly understand it until this day. To see life leave one being to eventually sustain that of another is quite possibly more powerful than any other act I’ve ever witnessed. Their willingness to enable someone unknown to continue in this life made these people heroes, in every sense of the word.
I wish so badly that I could have finished this entry by professing my great contribution to the state of Rhode Island in donating my blood for the very first time. Unfortunately this was one fear I wasn’t yet ready to face. But you know, much of this adventure is learning what I can do, and sadly, what I can’t. This time, my concerns could not be controlled, but I was hopeful that next time I would not leave lacking courage, but as someone whose strength derived from the example seen today. I was optimistic that the influence here would leave a lasting impression, that would only grow with time forcing me to value the importance of this contribution more than I already do. Most importantly however, I was hopeful that the words, “Give Hope. Give Life. Give Blood,” the motto of this organization, would continue to resonate within the confines of my conscience, and I could eventually leave some blood center confident with the lives I’d saved, and with the work I’d done.
