Do I have a story or what today....
Last Monday I decided I wanted to donate blood. Hema-Quebec paid a visit to a local elementary school in my region SO I thought what perfect timing than now, to donate blood. I've wanted to do it for a while, it was within distance of my house too! For those who don't know who Hema-Quebec is, they are a non-profit organization that manages the blood supply for the province of Quebec.
I did a little bit of research beforehand to make sure I was eligible to donate in the first place. Everything was good to go so I cleared my schedule for Monday! I live my lifestyle by intermittent fasting. Quick quick, for those who don't know, IF is where you have periods where you fast for a certain amount of hours and then you have a window where you eat and consume your daily macro intake. This is for a future blog but FOR NOW, for this blood donation I decided that fasting wasn't a good idea. SO I ate before, I had 500mL of water before going as well.
When I got there, I went to check in. I was all excited because I got a little sticker that said "New Donor" and I felt all proud! They had given me another snack and a water bottle to be consumed before my blood was drawn. I then went to see a nurse where they took my blood sugar and checked to be sure my blood could be used. They asked soooo many personal questions which I wasn't expecting but I got it done! Then came the time to see the last nurse before going to the bed where I would be donating. She reassured me that it really wasn't that bad, almost like a blood test. In my head i'm thinking "for a blood test, you have a needle in your arm for no more than 1 minute.... this can last up to 15" Now, i'm not scared of needles but i'm not particularly comfortable with them, just like anyone! She started to play with my veins... she poked and prodded and squeezed and marked my arm. She explained how they can now separate your blood right away into 4 different categories; red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. I thought this was so neat! She then picked my arm and began the process.
They draw 500mL of blood. I like to ask questions so I was asking away! They had 4 different bags where they distributed the plasma, platelets, red and white blood cells. They had this little, yellow box-like-thing that the bags would sit and and it would move from side-to-side to keep the blood from clotting. This is where I learned that I apparently, have little veins.
How does this affect my donation?
It technically doesn't, just means that I had to work harder to get my blood pumping. The reason for this is because there is a solution within these bags that keep the blood from clotting. You have a certain amount of time to get 30mL or more into this bag because then the solution would start to take over and there would be more solution than blood which defeats the purpose of donating. I was given a ball of paper towel to squeeze and move around in my hand to get my blood circulating quicker. This was pretty painful. Each time I moved this ball, I felt the needle in my arm which freaked me out a little BUT I kept calm and worked through it!
I ended up making the right amount of blood per bag within the right time. This took around 12-15 minutes but I got it done! I was told that this amount of blood that I donated saved 3 lives. I felt all happy and warm inside :)
I then got up, went over to the beds where you sit for 5-10 minutes and waited to be cleared to leave. I'm so thankful that I was within my hometown because I happened to run into many familiar faces, one of which occupied the bed next to me. We started talking, we were cleared at the same time so we made our way over to the table where there was juice and snacks and all that jazz. We took our conversation to the corridor on our way out where all of a sudden, I started not to feel so well..
I got very hot and sweaty, my vision started to go blurry, I heard a very loud ringing in my ear and next thing you know, I was on the floor. Luckily, the company I was within, helped me up off the ground and brought me back inside to sit. He sat with me for a little while and me, being me... made jokes about my fainting. I'm just very grateful that I was within his company because God forbid I was behind the wheel. BUT this wasn't the case and after I felt back to normal, I got up and left.
It is now Monday again, a week after my donation. I am now aware that the way my body reacted was perfectly normal. I took 7 days off the gym and any intense physical exercise. I've learned that you really have to listen to your body. My body was telling me that it needed time to replenish and recover and so I listened. Today was my first day back in the gym and I feel stronger than before both physically and mentally. I actually started writing this blog 3 days after my donation with the intention to post it sooner but I felt so fatigued and out-of-body that I couldn't sit long enough to sit down, think, write and edit this. SO this is what I am doing today! Sharing my experience of a first-time blood donor :)
After donating, I did some more research because it's so amazing how, by taking an hour of your day to donate blood, it can save 3 lives! I learned about what each red, white blood cells, plasma and platelets do and who they help.
Plasma: is the protein-rich liquid in blood that helps other blood components circulate throughout your body. It supports your immune system and helps control excessive bleeding, which is why plasma donations are important to help treat bleeding disorders, liver diseases and cancer in patients.
Platelets: help bone marrow transplant, cancer, and leukemia patients
Red Blood Cells: Red blood cells remove carbon dioxide from your body, transporting it to the lungs for you to exhale. Red blood cells are made inside your bones, in the bone marrow.
White Blood Cells: White blood cells are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from multipotent cells in the bone marrow known as hematopoietic stem cells.
Pretty cool stuff if you ask me!
SO, everyone has their own reasons to donate or volunteer; I have mine too.
It was 3 years this past July 1st, Canada day, that gave me my reason. I remember this day because in the community I come from, Two-Mountains, Canada day is a huge event! Everyone comes out of hibernation with their red cowboy hats, waving those cheap, cardboard Canadian flags and holding their beer close to their hip. We listen to live bands, enjoy the games and horse shoe competitions and watch fire works at night! This day, 3 years ago, took a turn for my family and I.
I could go into detail of what we were all wearing and what music was on the radio because it feels like it was yesterday but for longevity reasons, I'll make it quick. There was my dad, myself, my 2 younger sisters and my, now ex-boyfriend. We made a quick trip to a local grocery store. The weather was approximately 38 degrees Celsius out and my dad was cold. He was shivering, he had no color in his face, his hands were white, he was stuttering totally out of nowhere. We were walking down the aisle when he said he wanted to go sit in the truck while we finished the shopping. I knew something was wrong so I remember walking behind him to check up on him when he collapsed. I ran over to help him up but my dad is a 6'3, 200lbs guy! I had some trouble. I still remember people looking down on me and at him and just starring. No one was helping. I specifically remember a man saying to his wife "that man must be drunk" in French. I yelled at my ex to take my younger sister for a walk and my other sister came to help along with the manager of the store. We called the paramedics. He walked himself out to the ambulance to get himself checked. They checked his vitals and everything was cleared but how is this possible that he totally collapsed, remembers nothing but hes "ok"? Its not possible. They were ready to tell him to go home versus taking him to the hospital. Luckily, my younger sister, who want's to become a nurse, was level-headed enough to tell them to take him to the hospital. Thank God she did because it turns out, my dad was missing almost 3/4 of his blood.... He needed 6 blood transfusions that day. If it weren't for those people who took the time out of their day to donate, my sisters and I would have lost our dad. I can't even fathom the thought of that.
Now, he prances around with his warm finger tips and red-skinned face and actually sweats when its 38 degrees outside! The only reason he gets tired now is because of a long day at work or my younger sister tiring him out. To this day, I wish I could thank those people who sat there with that needle in their arm for 10 minutes, who answered those personal questions and who took their time out of their day to donate.
How cute are we?? :)
It's understandable that not everyone is eligible to donate blood, or can sit there with that needle for 10 minutes and get through it. But there are so many other ways to help. Take the time to volunteer when these organizations visit locally, make it aware within your communities that they can donate, you can help with funds online, you can share links for these events.
and on that note, I shall leave you to your day!
Smile, be happy, be grateful :)
insta handle ----> kyla.emma30