A first time donor tells what it's like to give blood
by Thomas Merson, posted Oct. 23, 2008
As I walked into the east side of the Hearnes Center, it felt like a completely different building than usual. With Red Cross trucks and vans lined up in the parking lot and the continuous stream of people leaving and entering, it seemed more like a hospital. No, I thought, not a hospital; it’s the biggest blood drive in the nation. The MU Homecoming blood drive.
After checking in, I was directed to sit in a long column of chairs that was already full of other people waiting for their numbers to be called. A good 20 minutes passed before I was asked to go and complete the questionnaire.
After some important questions and some redundant ones, the nurse briefly mentioned something about a slight pain and a blood sample.
“Alright, may I see your hand? Thank you, “ said the nurse. “So how are classes going for you?” “Oh they are pretty goo-OW!,” I said, after she pricked my finger.
Needless to say, I was entirely surprised by this, and it hurt much worse than I had anticipated. It made me seriously worry about having a large needle shoved in my arm.
I was then instructed to go to the next checkpoint. Here I was given my stack of bags and test tubes for my blood. I then followed an aide to what looked like an expensive pool lounge chair. At this point, I must admit I was slightly nervous. It was my first time to give blood, and I truly had no idea what to expect. As I sat down, the nurse rattled off several required questions that came at me so fast that the best answer I could manage was a smile and a nod of mock understanding.
As another nurse came over to help get me set up for the bloodletting, all I could think of was the terrific scent of the pizza wafting toward me from the canteen area. Suddenly, the nurse mentioned another incoherent phrase, and there was a gleam of steel from the thick needle she held in her hand. Usually, I have never had a problem with needles; I never even cried about shots when I was younger. However, this seemed different. It seemed different until the nurse poked me in the arm and slid the needle into my vein.
At this point, I realized this wasn’t so bad after all. It only took about 5 minutes, and before I knew it, I was sitting at the canteen snacking on pizza and juice. Then it hit me that I had just given blood that could one day save someone’s life. Maybe the best part of this whole ordeal was that it wasn’t just me who wanted to help others. According to the blood drive Web site, www.donateblood.com, 4,000 others wanted to help save lives, too. The needle really didn’t hurt all that bad. The finger prick, on the other hand, is a whole other story.
