Well, I am feeling quite sad and disappointed today. I found out that while I am under the care of my neurologist, I can’t give blood. If you don’t donate blood, you might believe that is a good thing – but if you do donate, you will understand why I’m upset. I have to admit, before I started donating, I didn’t understand why anyone would want to. Needles? Uck. Blood? Ick. Biscuits as a ‘reward’? You’re kidding me! But once I’d been just a few times I got it. You are spending half an hour of your time (the taking blood bit takes less than 10 minutes) to potentially save a life. I started donating because a colleague’s son had a motorbike accident where he lost a leg…and he needed lots of blood to keep him alive. So she talked me into going.
I’ve now given 17 times. I intended to give 100 times (I only needed another 20 years or so to do it! Lol). But I have been cut short in my prime. Although, you know me – I haven’t given up. My diagnosis may change, the rules may change, I may move to a place with less strict rules! And if I can, I’ll give again. For now, I am reduced to badgering other people to give! So why should you give blood? Because the life you save could be your child’s, your spouse, your best friend, your parent, your sibling. Donating your blood could save a life. That’s it. That’s the reason. And it’s so easy. So please, if you can give, do it. In the UK, go to www.blood.co.uk to find your local donation session. In the US, I believe it’s the Red Cross. And if you’re like me and you can’t give, please spread this message and ask your friends and family to give. The life THEY save could be yours.
– Do Something Amazing –
Ok, giving blood might not be for you (although I hope you will try it before deciding it’s not for you!), but there is another point to be made here – giving feels amazing! Everyone I know who gives or has given blood regularly wouldn’t think of missing a session unless they had to. Everyone I know who has ever volunteered got as much out of it as the people they were helping. If not more. Jack Canfield tells the story of a client who called him in despair, not able to see a way forward. Jack asked him if there was anything he could think of that he could do for someone else, and stayed on the line while his client went off and did his good deed. When he came back, the dark cloud was lifted.
Sometimes life gets on top of us so much that we forget how to give – our time, our money, our love, our friendship, our expertise. We are too busy moving from day to day, getting what we can from others and from life itself. And we forget to serve, to make the world a better place just by being in it. The irony of this is that when you are able to help someone else, you are helped too. When you give with a generous and open heart, it comes back to you. And it just plain feels good to give! The biscuit you are rewarded with in the UK for giving blood is not your reward for doing so – it’s actually just to get your blood sugar level back up – your reward is that you’ve done something amazing.
Now there is a huge difference between doing something amazing, and being a martyr! Note that I said “when you give with a generous and open heart it comes back to you”. Not when you give from a place of ‘having to’, feeling like you ‘should’ or out of obligation. Giving with a generous and open heart (or vein!) is wonderful. Giving to gain is not. Being taken from is not. Giving because you want to do something good (and therefore feel good) and giving from a place of service is one of my favourite things! Yes, I know that pretty much everything I enjoy is my favourite thing. Lol.
That is why I am so upset to have been stopped from giving blood. I don’t get to save lives that often! And now the one way I did (maybe) is (hopefully temporarily) closed. But of course there are other ways I can serve – giving away content on my website, facebook, twitter is one way I can serve. Helping people who need help is another. Badgering friends, family and everyone I’m connected to on Facebook to give blood is another! And perhaps encouraging you to look around and see what you can give with an open and generous heart is another?
– Something to Play With –
What can you give? Who can you help today? It could be a charity, a friend, a neighbour, a total stranger who needs blood (sorry, I’m relentless!), you could give time, money, expertise, friendship, mentoring, laughter. Remember to give with an open heart and notice how much fun it is to give (don’t be attached to a ‘thank you’ though – get the good feeling from doing the good deed, not being acknowledged for it. Acknowledgement is nice but it’s not the point). Please let me know what you do, especially if you decide to give blood – it will make me feel lots better! Leave me a comment here or pop over to the facebook page and leave a comment there.
Love
Donna.x