I spent the first 33 years of my life believing that I could never be a blood donor.
Firstly, I hate needles.
Second, I’m a fainter. I have passed out in public places more often than I’d like to admit, including a movie theater (more than once!) at the mere SIGHT of blood.
And to add insult to injury, I have terrible veins. Like, really terrible. My veins are the type that will haunt a nurse’s dreams.
For these reasons and more, I just thought that blood donation wasn’t in the cards for me.
Then, I gave birth to a giant baby, had a few surgeries, and realized that my minor discomfort was nothing compared to the ability to save someone else’s life. So I bit the bullet and started donating. As often as I can.
And you know what? It’s actually no big deal!
It takes just a few minutes of my time, and then I’m back to my day armed with some free snacks. Plus, I found a miraculous nurse who I ask for by name (heeeeey Ebony!) who can get my awful veins in one stick every 👏 single 👏 time 👏 (She’s an angel and she deserves a raise.). I can even follow my blood donation’s “journey” to local and regional hospitals through the American Red Cross app!
If I can do it, anyone can. So go donate if you’re eligible. It takes just a few minutes to help save a life.
