I know. Donating blood is an obvious way to make a difference. But many of us who are qualified to donate, don’t, because we’re afraid. I know this, because I used to let my own fear of needles hold me back. I can’t even look when I get a shot, so there was no way I was going to let someone stick a needle in me to take a pint of my blood!
Through much of my 20s, I didn’t meet the weight limit for donating blood, giving me a convenient excuse. But after I had a baby and turned 30, I stayed over the 110 lb. minimum, so I had to face the fact that I wasn’t donating because I was afraid.
Then came September 11. In the aftermath, I wanted to do something constructive. The first thing that occurred to me was to become a blood donor.
It wasn’t bad at all. I didn’t even feel faint.
There are other reasons people choose not to donate blood besides fear, of course. I know someone who got tired of being deferred for low iron and finally asked the Red Cross to stop calling her. But I’ve had many people tell me that they don’t like needles or are afraid of how they will feel after donating. After overcoming my own fear, I have a message for those of you are letting fear hold you back:
Donating blood is sort of a treat!
Yes, there’s the great feeling you get after having done something that saves lives. This was especially true for me the night I had someone stop me when she saw my post-donation “be nice to me” sticker. She wanted to thank me, because she had once needed a transfusion. When you meet someone who has benefited from a blood donation, the good that you’ve done really hits home.
But when I say that donating blood is a treat, I’m not talking about the feeling of having done something nice for someone else. I’m talking about how relaxing the experience can be.
If you feel like you’re trying to keep too many balls in the air — a job, parenting, caring for elderly parents, volunteer work, a side gig — the notion of being forced to relax can be a beautiful thing, so much so that some people actually fantasize about being laid up in the hospital for a while. Donating blood is a mini vacation from your day-to-day responsibilities. For roughly an hour — from the time you check in at the front desk to the time you walk out the door — you have time to just be with few demands. You’ll have to read some literature and answer some questions (you can take care of that ahead of time with the Rapid Pass system if you donate through the American Red Cross). You’ll get a finger prick or two (my least favorite part), and they’ll take your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. If all turns out well, they will escort you to what you can think of as your own chaise lounge — it’s elevated and not plush, but you can just stretch out your legs, lean back, and give them an arm. You don’t have to watch. I like to bring a book. You could watch videos on your phone or daydream. You could even bring along a friend to donate with you and spend the time chatting.
Following your donation, you will be asked to sit in the canteen, drink a beverage, and, if you wish, eat a snack. As I mentioned, you will be given a sticker instructing others to be nice to you, and you will be told not to lift anything heavy for the rest of the day. “Dear, could you please carry the laundry basket upstairs for me? I’m not supposed to lift heavy things today.”
In the interest of complete truthfulness, I felt slightly dizzy once when I completed a donation. It had never happened before, and it has never happened since. It really wasn’t bad, and the staff made sure I was okay before they let me get up. I’ve seen one other person who did not feel well after her first donation. She was well attended to and did not faint. I have one friend who actually did faint after donating. She was told that she would have to donate in a hospital in the future, but a phone call to the Red Cross has since debunked that misinformation; she is welcome to donate at a Red Cross blood donation center. Feeling faint once does not mean that you will feel faint again; sometimes, the faintness occurs because of your physical condition when you gave blood, such as being dehydrated.
If you, like me, dislike needles, I’d like to encourage you to reframe blood donations. Think of donating as “me time.” Let other people take care of things for a while; just sit back, put your feet up, and rest, knowing that you have an excuse: You’re doing a great deal of good. And after you’re done, eat your snack guilt-free.