Growing up, I hated the idea of needles. One day my sister and I went to get shots (I was about 13 so she was 5). The nurse ended up giving me a doll to squeeze while I got my shot. My sister? She watched the nurse give her a shot and didn't shed a tear. What a trooper! While shots still give me the heebie jeebies, donating blood is different for me. It probably helps that the staff at One Blood (formally Northwest Florida Blood Center) are amazing nurses that make the process painless.
I donated blood my first year in college. The Northwest Blood Center had their blood mobile set up on campus one day. I'm the type of person ,who if asked to do something, more than likely will give it a go (unless it goes completely against my morals). So when the nurse asked "Would you like to donate blood today?" How could I say no??? That is how I got sucked into the world of donating blood. After that, I made it a point to donate a couple times a year. Since leaving Florida, I always make sure to donate when I'm back in town. I haven't been able to bring myself to donate outside of Florida. I blame part of it on my fear of needles and part of it on not trusting just ANY nurse to poke me.
I donated blood my first year in college. The Northwest Blood Center had their blood mobile set up on campus one day. I'm the type of person ,who if asked to do something, more than likely will give it a go (unless it goes completely against my morals). So when the nurse asked "Would you like to donate blood today?" How could I say no??? That is how I got sucked into the world of donating blood. After that, I made it a point to donate a couple times a year. Since leaving Florida, I always make sure to donate when I'm back in town. I haven't been able to bring myself to donate outside of Florida. I blame part of it on my fear of needles and part of it on not trusting just ANY nurse to poke me.
I've decided 2014 is the year to change that. My goal is to donate blood on a more regular basis and outside of Florida. Later this month I'll be visiting the Blood Bank of Delmarva to put their nurses to the test. :) A few facts about donating blood from the American RedCross:
- More than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
- One donation can help save the lives of up to three people.
- If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives! (talk about Superhero status!!)
Growing up my parents always encouraged and supported me in being an active part of the community I have found that along with adjusting to the military life, developing that deep connection with a new community will take some time. I'm looking forward to getting settled in California and finding ways to give back to the community, even if I do have to start with donating blood.
To all my family and friends with a fear of needles.... I would still encourage you to donate blood at least once. It might not be as bad as you think, and even if you don't like it... that one donation will make a difference in the life of another.
Don't forget... you too can be a superhero!
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