Meredith's Monday Musings: Donating Blood

Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday! How’s everyone’s week going so far? Can you guys believe that we’re in the middle of June already? I feel like it should still be March. Time really has flown by.

Today’s Meredith’s Monday Musing post is all about: Donating blood!

I’ve donated blood twice in my life, hopefully a third time soon! When I tell people I donate blood, I get asked two questions most frequently: why do you donate blood and does it hurt?

To answer the first question, I donate blood because of my Grandmother. When my Grandma was dying from cancer, she had to have a couple of blood transfusions to help her. I got to see firsthand just how much getting that donated blood eased her pain and even put a pep back in her step. After seeing that, I wanted to donate some of my own blood to give people the same gift that my Grandma had received.

The answer to the second question is shorter. No, donating blood doesn’t hurt. Honestly, what hurts the most is when they have to poke your fingertip to check if you have the correct amount of iron in your blood in order to donate. Otherwise, it truly is pretty painless.

Obviously, it’s everyone’s individual choice to decide whether or not they want to donate blood, however, if you’re on the fence about it, I’d urge you to do it. Donating blood is simple, fast, and easy. Besides that, one pint of your blood could save up to three lives. I love the idea of being able to save another person’s, let alone three’s, so that’s why I donate blood.

The only suggestions I’d have for someone if they decide to donate blood is 1) Fill out the RapidPass before you go. You’ll save yourself like fifteen minutes. 2) Make sure to eat some foods rich in iron a few days before going. That way, you can know that when they check your iron level, you’ll be good to go.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Happy Monday, everyone!