I bet you didn’t know this about me. I once was a competitive blood donor. Let’s unpack this one together…
O-Negative. That’s my blood type. In the blood business that kind of makes me a superstar. O-Negative blood can be shared with all other types. My blood is worth something to everyone. So early on, I decided to share and share a lot. I always said yes to blood donating events. Don’t get me wrong, I hate needles. I’m a bit of a baby when the needle comes in close. And I cannot look at it. No way. But there is an honest sense of job-well-done when I give a pint to help out a good cause.
One day in my mid-twenties, I hopped in my car and drove across town to donate another pint. I was alone. It was summer and it was a wonderful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. I parked my car and felt the warmth of the sun as I crossed the lot over to the front door of a donating center. Inside, I stepped up to the front desk where a receptionist was waiting. I had been here before so I knew the routine. She pointed to her left where the nurses were receiving donors. I wandered over and met a cheery young nurse. She gathered some data points on me and asked me to walk over to the donating section. I walked into the next room which was filled with blood donor chairs, full length. This was going to be a comfortable event. There were many donors already in progress. A nurse approached me and led me to an empty lawn chair. I sat down and got comfortable. There were a row of chairs across from me, about half of them empty.
She set up my station and tapped me for blood. I felt the pin prick and looked away. I had started. Before leaving she gave me a squeeze ball. This was new to me. “Just squeeze it every five or ten seconds and you will make this go a little faster” “Sure, no problem. Thanks” I said. Then she was gone. A moment later a guy I recognized but did not know sat across from me. I watched him get set up and he was donating now. His nurse gave him a squeeze ball too and he set out to pump it. I looked away and then back again to find him staring right at me. He was squeezing his ball with serious intention and looking at me with something close to contempt. So that’s how this is going to go? I thought. I stared him down and began to squeeze more frequently. I gauged his bag was filling up faster than mine so I leaned in and doubled down on my squeezes. He followed in suit. Not a word was spoken but this game was on.
I kept looking at my bag and was disappointed to see little to no change while his was filling up quite fast. So on and on this went until his nurse returned. He had finished. He had won. I was the loser. Just then my nurse arrived and with an alarming tone she said, “What have you done? Stop pumping, you are going to burst the bag!” “No way, look it is barely full” I returned as I pointed to my bag. “That isn’t your bag, this one is!” It was underneath me and out of sight. Oh no, it was the size of a softball, almost ready to explode. She removed the needle and placed a cotton ball and bandage on my arm. “You need to go to the next station and get some orange juice and cookies. In fact, drink two Orange Juices.”
I stood up and felt a bit wobbly. With focused concentration I made my way over to the table and sat down. An orange juice and some cookies were placed in front of me. I asked for a second OJ and got it. My donating competitor was leaving and passed by me with a smirk he did not try to hide. I turned back to my cookies and reached for one. In front of me was a sign with a list and note at the top. Ask for a nurse if you feel any of the following symptoms. Boom! I was out. I fell over and then under the table to the floor.
There’s a calmness found in fainting. It is a wonderful moment lacking in any sense of time. But ultimately it must leave, let you go, to go back to the world of the living, the upright human life that you were born to lead. I lay there in the timelessness until a sudden sense shocked me awake. It was smelling salt, a chemical compound used as a stimulant to restore consciousness. I bolted upward suddenly and hit my head on the table I lay under. A nurse was in front of me and coming into focus.
“Let me help you up. You need to rest here until we dismiss you. Did you come here with anyone?”
“No, that would have probably been a good idea. But no, I drove myself here”
“Okay just rest. You will be fine in about fifteen minutes”
“Thanks” I said.
I sat there with a cookie in hand and finished the list of symptoms. Yeah, I could check most of those boxes.
I still donate when I can, but since that moment I have kept my competitive nature limited to sport activities.
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