A Drop in the Bucket: My First Blood Donation

So I have this bucket list of things I want to accomplish before my 40th birthday in August. It’s a short list, and yesterday I crossed off one more when I donated blood for the first time.

This is not a big deal for many folks, but I’ve always been too scared, too squeamish. I am one of those people who hate needles. I cannot stand the sight of blood, real or fake. I get seasick and amusement-ride sick. I feel woozy just hearing about operations or accidents. For years I suffered under the belief that I’d pass out if I had blood dripping out of my arm for 15 minutes.

Photo by mahaz

I made the appointment for June 14, which I discovered was World Blood Donor Day. The stars were aligning, but I still felt nervous. I entered the Blood Donation Center informing all who would listen about my tendency toward wooziness. I didn’t want anyone surprised to find me flat on the floor.Approaching 40 has caused me to reflect on many beliefs that I’ve held as truths. And I refuse to enter the next phase of my life being limited by such fears. I once pushed a six-pound human being out of me—surely I could give a little blood?

Apparently I’m made out of stronger stuff. I did not feel even a whiff of faintness yesterday as a pint of blood drained from me. I did not watch, of course. I’m not that strong. My eyes stayed glued to the Food Network as the Barefoot Contessa distracted me with cravings for fudge brownies.

Some Things That Helped Me:

1. Chewing Bach’s Rescue Gum in the waiting room. The homeopathic, stress-relief gum really took the edge off my anxiety so that by the time I went in for my pin-prick iron test, I had been lulled into a peaceful state.
2. The nurse placing an ice pack behind my neck and raising my legs.
3. The nurse telling me (after the pin-prick test was over) that was the worst part.
4. Bringing my ipod along. Nothing like sappy 70s tunes from England Dan and John Ford Coley to keep you mellow.
5. Reminding myself that my Dad—a man who fears everything—is a regular blood donor. If he can do it, surely I could.
6. Envisioning the soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies that awaited me at the end.

Afterward, I felt proud of my arm bandage that announced to the world: I am a hero! I am super Eco-Mom! When you look at the definition of ecological (“characterized by the interdependence of living organisms in an environment”), what could be more ecological than sharing blood?

And let’s not discount the rush that comes from conquering a longtime fear. It feels amazing, and it reminds me that things are often much scarier in my head than they are in actuality.

Even though my father often donated blood, he never talked about the experience and so I had never given much thought to the whole issue. It was just one of those things that some people did that seemed far out of my comfort zone.

Wanting Sofie to move beyond her comfort zone and to understand the value of giving blood, we talked openly about my experience. And yesterday my darling daughter greeted me after school with a painting she’d made of a dolphin diving into the ocean. She said, “I wanted to make something special for you for giving blood today, Mommy.” Sigh.

Now that I’ve done it, the idea of my blood swirling around inside someone else’s body is so awesome to me. Yesterday’s donation was just a drop in the bucket toward what the world needs. When I made my list, I thought donating blood would likely be a one-time thing to cross off. Not true anymore. Knowing that saving lives is this feel-good and easy is going to bring me back to the Donation Center again, with or without those chocolate chip cookies.