May 25, 10 | Posted by: Michelle Linsmeier, M.D.

Be a Hero

I was watching an old repeat of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this week.   I love the show.  I always end up crying at the end when the family sees their new home.  Plus, Ty (the carpenter) is cute to look at.  Anyway, the episode I watched involved a family whose daughter had a serious blood disorder.  Her immune system was weak, and she required weekly blood transfusions to stay alive.  It was intense to see what this family, and especially this little girl, had to endure to live.   At the end of the show, the cast talked about blood donation,  and how it can save a life.  I completely agree.  And hopefully, I can motivate one or two people to donate blood this next week.

It’s easy to do. It takes one hour (maybe 90 minutes) for the whole process. The last time I went to donate, it took exactly 55 minutes from when I walked in the door to when I was leaving with my chocolate chip cookie.  And the donating part is fast.  Sure, there is a little poke when they put the IV in, but really, in the grand scheme of painful things, this is really minor.  And for all of you who don’t like needles or the site of blood – no problem.  I never watch them put in the needle (I get queasy if I see it happen) and I don’t look at my arm until they have the large towel over the IV site.  They place the collection bag out of your line of site, so really it is quite simple. 

I pray that my children never need a transfusion, but I am very thankful to know that the option is there if it were necessary.  And I am thankful to the people who donate their time and blood to help a stranger.  The little girl on TV would not be alive unless people were willing to donate.  Please consider becoming a blood donor – you could be the hero in someones life.

Below is the link to the Blood Center of Wisconsin:

www.bcw.edu

No Comments »