A Person:
As humans when we grow, we grow making and etching millions
of memories and life stories. I love telling my own. When I was in the standard
ten in school, I became the Chairman of Coimbatore’s elite Cosmo Jaycees’ youth
club. It was a community based club and perhaps I was the youngest chairman in
the history of this society. Someone suggested Blood Donation as our first
project, and with 7 of my classmates, now members of the club donated blood for
the first time. This was in the ear 1984 and the rest is history. Till date I
have donated 143 times.
November of 2022 hit me hard, I was diagnosed with hive
level of diabetics, and I lost my eye vision partially. I know I was not the
first person on this planet to have got it, my mother and most in her family has
it and Doctor’s said it is hereditary. I was never under bigger depression. I
had to fight, took all the remedial methods, went with a strict diet, fitness
regime and supported myself with the required medicines. I had to challenge
this, not just for myself but for the mission I have in my life.
Today, after four months I have gradually come back, with
diabetics in normal counts and visual acuity. What matters is not that I am
back to normal levels of diabetics but I am able to donate my blood again.
A Donor:
Very few realize the efforts a blood donor puts in to make
his donation. It is not just taking out a few notes of currency as donation and
giving off. When a call is made, the donor plans the visit to the hospital of
asking, adjusting his/her work schedule and spending a minimum of 2-3 hours of
active life to donate and make sure that the person in need is served indeed.
Leave alone the expenses incurred in travel which many a times are not less
than 20+ kms both ways. Add the most
important fact that a voluntary donor has to live a pious life of not drinking
and smoking for most of his life so that he/she can donate blood. The Gym goers
have to give up practice for a few days, and all donors have to maintain food
and liquid intake for at least 2 more days. A Donor will never talk about
these.
The Society:
With one unit of blood now-a- days almost 5 people can
benefit and if I have donated 143 times of full blood till date then I could
have easily made 715 blood relatives and at least 3575 family members. What
hurts me most is that the donors are taken for granted by the society and
professionals. Where a donor’s hemoglobin should be the yardstick the call is
made to fetch “MALE DONORS” presuming females not fit as they menstruate every
28 days.
The culture of Blood donation camp was started eons ago to
motivate and create awareness of the process when the media and communication
was farfetched. Today it is like milking the cow to fill the coffers of some so
called reputed organizations. The Donors are called in like cattle and rarely
respected or recognized.
Volunteer:
A motivated volunteer is always positive and does not wait
for any recognition. They are the unsung heroes who stand when the near and
dear ones of the patient dust their hands. I am appalled by the fact that there
will be a crowd of family persons hunting for donors when a few of them can
easily volunteer to give the replacement unit to the hospital.
Prayer:
Do not bleed them at commemorative camps, as young and first
time donors are mostly gullible.
Respect and Recognize Blood Donors, now you know how much
they go through to remain active donors.
Blood donors are not found in directories ... BECOME A BLOOD DONOR TODAY - Don't let fools or mosquitoes suck your blood, put it to good use. Donate blood and save a life- when someone gives – someone lives.
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