I Saved a Life Today

I saved a life today. Maybe even three lives. Not sure who but... that doesn't matter... what matters is that I took time out of my busy day to step up, roll up my sleeves and bleed.

Yep, I'm a blood donor.

I'm not the coveted O- blood type though. That's the universal donor, whose blood can be infused into anyone in an emergency situation when a patient needs blood NOW.

I'm just an A+ blood type, the second most common after O-, but my blood is still useful for surgeries, etc.

My 50-Donation card

I've been donating blood since university but not consistently. Depending on where I was living, a blood donor clinic might not be all that accessible or even present.

 For a while, in Calgary, I was even a plasma donor. To be honest, I was trying to rack up my donation numbers. You see, blood donors could only donate every two months (now every three months), while plasma donors could donate once a week! Those plasma donations definitely helped boost me closer towards the 50 donations mark. Although... some older plasma donors in Calgary were pushing 1000 donations. I don't think I'm going to hit that benchmark in this lifetime.

Free snacks!!

Anyhow... Canadian Blood Services tries to make the donation process as smooth and efficient as possible. They really try to take care of you because you're not just donating your blood, you're donating your time. There's nothing worse than expecting to be in and out in one hour and walking out of there two hours later. Last year, they made several changes to their process.

I hadn't donated for almost a year and when I went in November last year, I was a bit surprised to find some pre-donation snacks! When you arrive, you are given a 500 ml bottle of water to drink as well as a selection of salty snacks - chips, pretzels, etc. The water and salt help the donation process go smoothly - less dizziness and fainting. Nice.

Pre-donation snack offerings for blood donors

The post-donation process was still the same. After the donation, you get to sit down, relax and be waited on by a gaggle of eager volunteers who offer you fruit juice and package cookies. Both help you recuperate from the donation process.

All of these treats, were individually wrapped: plastic water bottles, chips, tetra-pack juice boxes, cookie packet... and it got me thinking.

If I were to plan ahead... and bring my own... could I skip all of their offerings?

My blood donation
preparation kit

Today, I gave it a shot. I had a blood donation at 9 am and I did some planning and preparation:

• 500 ml metal water bottle - check!
• three pickles (more sodium than a small bag of chips) - check!
• juicy mandarin orange - check!
• handful of grapes - check!

I wasn't sure if these were going to be met with the Blood Services stamp of approval but it was totally fine. The post-donation volunteers were a bit deflated when I said I had water and my own treats, but they took it in good stride.

It didn't take a lot of time or effort for me to pull the stuff together. It might not make a huge difference in the massive blood donation operation but it's one Small Step... and it made a difference for me.

And my donation made a difference for someone out there... someone having heart surgery, or getting cancer treatment or a car crash victim.

50% of Canadian will need blood or know someone who will need blood. But... only 5% of eligible Canadians actually donate. Do you donate?