#23 from my 30 Before 30 list: Donate a gallon of blood (8 pints = 8 donations)
Whenever I donate blood, I get nervous that I will get turned away for low iron. This past May, I attempted to donate after work, and my iron was just shy of the required minimum. A few weeks later, I donated successfully in the morning with iron levels well above the minimum.
I thought that my iron levels might be connected to the time of day, so I kept looking for opportunities to donate in the morning. There weren’t any. So when the Red Cross kept calling, I decided to give donating after work another shot.
Today, they conducted the preliminary screening tests, and my iron was just fine! Sure, they had a little bit of difficulty finding my vein, and the tech kind of accidentally tugged the needle (“We’re going to need more gauze,” I heard her whisper), but the donation experience went well. The volunteers from the host church were very friendly, always checking to make sure I felt okay, and the techs were kind and skilled. If you are eligible to donate, go give blood!
Each pint of blood can save up to three lives, so visit redcrossblood.org to make a blood donation appointment!
Part 4 – March 1, 2013
cindy agoncillo 