Why donating blood is one of the best things you can do
- Written by News Company
Being a good people should be a goal that everyone strives for. Sadly, far too many people are selfish or too busy to think about others and they just do their own thing, never worrying about anyone else until it is too late. Given the demands of the modern world this way of life is understandable, but that doesn’t make it right. Taking time out to think how to help others should be something that we are all encouraged to do on a regular basis. It is simple things as well that can help, like being prepared to donate organs once dead or donating blood while living. Donating blood is such a simple procedure and yet statistics show that less than 5% of populations actually perform this lifesaving act. Here are a few things to think about and which might motivate you to get up and do the right thing.
Learn a little about yourself
As much as donating blood is about helping others, it is also a great way to stay up-to-date with your own health status. When donating blood, you will be hooked up to a blood pressure machine to have you BP monitored. They test your iron levels. They will let you know if you are carrying diseases like HIV or hepatitis and they will inform you of your blood group. These are all good things to know, and while your blood group will never change, the other items can change. The sisters at the donation clinic are essentially giving you a medical every time you visit.
Help others
A pint of blood, which is typically what they take from you when you donate, can be used to save multiple lives. Generally, the blood is taken away and divided into its constituent parts: platelets, plasma and red blood cells. It is very rare that a pint of blood is taken from a donor and given as a single unit to a recipient. This means that you are not just helping one person when you donate but three. And blood products are always in demand – quite simply there are never enough donors.
What goes around
Health laws differ from country to country but in places blood donors are not charged for blood products if they end up in hospital needing a transfusion. This might not apply everywhere but for those who believe in Karma and paying it forward the simple act of donating means you have done good and should stand to benefit somewhere down the line.
It is surprisingly painless
There are so many people who think that it will hurt. People who claim to be terrified of needles or who panic at the sight of blood. The reality is that if you look the other way you feel nothing. The whole process is alarmingly simple, and it takes between five and ten minutes in total. Afterwards you are rewarded with a biscuit or two and something to drink. But the terror and the concerns that prevent so many supposedly well-intentioned people from donating are genuinely absent – it is a whole lot less pain than stubbing a toe, being shot with a paintball or getting a tattoo. There really is no excuse to not donate blood.
