Blood Donation Drive - Reflections

A write-up by another RC member, who was touched by the sequences and events during the Blood Donation Drive. Thanks Jennifer for the sharing her heartbeat on "WHY YOU SHOULD DONATE BLOOD"

Article as follows :

We successfully collected 164 packages of blood at our last Blood Donation Drive on the 6 Mar 2011. The organizing chairman, Rajoo, had initiated this project with 1 drive a year to now, having 4 drives a year. I salute to him for his belief and commitment to do this project every year. A Big Thank You to the members that help to support this project too. Most of all, I also salute to the many regular donors that have been supporting our Blood Donation project for many years.

During this latest drive, I saw a growing numbers of 1st time donors that have come forward to do their bit of social service. I also saw fathers/mothers and sons/daughters teams, It is a passing down of one of the most valuable experience to the young ones. I saw our new immigrants & new citizens in the line. There were about 10% or more people have pricked up the courage to face the needle for the first time.

I understand that every hour of the day, 15 units of blood are used in Singapore. We need to collect at least 350 units a day, as a whopping 100,000 units are needed in a year, just to meet the transfusion needs of patients in Singapore.

I have done a check on the Internet for this information on some of the health benefits of donating blood to encourage more people to come forward to donate blood.
Reduce the chance of heart diseases. The letting of blood removes iron from the blood stream through increased red blood cell production, which is a potential health benefit. It is believed that excess iron can cause cholesterol to oxidize quickly, which damages arteries and contributes to heart disease.

Enhance the production of new Red Blood Cells. As the blood is withdrawn from the donor’s body there is decrease in blood cells. To replenish it, immediately new cells are produced by marrow and this way blood gets refreshed. Therefore donating blood helps in stimulating generation of new blood cells.

Burns calories. One can diet or remain fit by donating blood regularly. One pint of blood (450 ml) when donated burns 650 calories in donor’s body. The feeling of well-being. The mental health advantages of knowing that you are helping somebody are immeasurable, but a study of elderly people showed a definite increase in the feeling of well-being and a general feeling of invigoration after donation.

How long will it take to replace my blood? After donating blood, you replace the fluid in hours and the red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.

How will patients use my blood? The unit of blood you give may be used to help save up to 3 lives. Your blood can be separated into red cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are used to treat patients who are anemic. Plasma can be used to treat patients in shock due to fluid loss as a result of burns. Platelets are used to help treat patients with leukemia.

Believe it or not, for these people, donating blood is like skydiving. They seem to want to master their fear of doing the act. After realizing that it is "not so terrible", their fear is replaced by a positive feeling. For sky divers, the more often they dive, the more their anxiety fades, and their sense of elation and competence increases. Likewise, for blood donors, their worries vanish, and they feel the "warm glow" of having helped others. By repeating the experience, both transform their initial anxiety into a positive – even addicting – experience.

If you want to make the effort to help others, now is the time!