Blood Donation

Blood donation. We recently had blood donation drive at the resort. Personally, I find the response is poor despite what the management said. When you have less than 10% of your staff donating, you need to do something to encourage more people to go. Right? I believe that when you want to do something especially charity, you need to do it all out not just do it for the sake of doing it or for show only.

I know there are people who are afraid of blood donation. Many are afraid of the needle/pain and some are worried of the side effects. So, here is a little something I found in the Internet for those who have never done blood donation before.

What are the benefits of blood donation to me?

Ans. Every time you donate blood, screening tests are done on the blood for jaundice, hepatitis, AIDS etc. Hence, you are able to get screened for these communicable diseases free of charge. And, of course, most important of all, every time you donate blood you get the satisfaction of helping a fellow human being in his/her time of need. You will be donating a little of your blood to save someone's life.

(In Malaysia, you will enjoy medical benefits from the government hospital such as free outpatient treatment, free Hepatitis B immunization shot, etc)

Will blood donation cause harm to my health?

Ans. Blood donation does not cause any ill effects on the human body and is 100% safe. To understand this let us go a little into body physiology. The total amount of blood circulating in our body's cardiovascular system is about 5 liters. Of this amount, only about 350 ml. is bled from the body during blood donation. The human body replenishes this amount of blood donated within about 48 to 72 hours of donation. Thus there is no harmful effect to health due to blood donation.

Why should we donate blood?

Ans. Blood donation gives a proud feeling of touching someone’s life in such a beautiful way. It’s an experience that no words can define. You have to donate blood yourself to find out. By keeping the bloodline flowing, you will greatly contribute towards a healthier, happier society. Do remember that any one may require blood any time. Including us and our dear ones. You also benefit in other ways by donating blood. It reduces the chances of ischemic heart diseases (beginning of heart problems) as frequent donations reduce the accumulated and unwanted iron load from the body.

Any side effects of Blood donations?

Ans. No! Not really. Do ask any regular blood donor about it. A small percentage of first time donors may psychologically feel a little dizzy but only for a few minutes. Staff at the blood bank will ensure that your first blood donation is a happy experience. We are sure this will make you a regular blood donor. In fact there are many people who have donated more than 100 times in their lifetime.

(source: http://www.webbloodbank.org/)

It’s no biggie really. You go in, fill up a form, check your blood pressure, they’ll prick you finger to check if you’re anemic and also to look out for Hepatitis B & AIDS, if everything is fine, they’ll insert the needle, within minutes the bag is full and you’re done. I didn’t even felt the needle. I swear.

So, for those who are able to donate, please do so. Imagine the lives you could save.