Donating Blood

I am donating blood this afternoon. It is not my first time. In fact, I've donated almost enough times to have donated a gallon. I've been missing my last couple appointments due to sickness and the like but donating blood is super important. Chances are, some day, you're going to need a unit (or more) of blood. You might as well start paying it back now. There are rules (such as your weight, medications, age) but a lot of people can donate that don't. In fact, most first timers don't even end up going back. It's really not that bad. I'm not afraid of needles but I am super super squeamish. I still donate about as often as I can. You just think about the people you're helping, especially after a tragedy like the Boston marathon. With one donation, you can save up to 3 lives.

I've done it all: thrown up, fainted, had dizzy spells after donating. I STILL donate. That's how important it is to me. One time, for whatever reason, I was only able to fill half a bag. They assured me that my blood would still be used for either an infant or for testing. You really don't need to have any fears about donating. If you used to donate but stopped due to the poor conditions (in the past, they had donation buses that always seemed to be really warm and made people feel sicker after donating), try again. It's not like that anymore (at least that's what my mom has said.)

Let me know if you donate regularly in the comments! If you don't donate, you really really should look into it. Besides, it's an excuse not to do anything strenuous for the rest of the day if nothing else!