I Bleed For You

Im here to BLEED for you, into a bag, for free, minus the juice.

For a long time I've been thinking about donating blood. Yesterday, my classmate, ate Mariam asked us to donate blood for her brother who has undergone an operation. So all of us decided to donate. After lunch we hurried our way to Medical City. In addition to helping her brother, my other motivation was not to "chicken out." I remember the lady who was screening me kept on smiling because she can't resist my honest answers to her sensitive questions. She was amazed because i didn't look as nervous as others but deep inside I was terrified. Since it was my first ever heroic deed for quite a while, I didn't have any idea how it would feel. But if you're going to ask how come that I'm a nurse, well, I've assisted patients into blood transfusion, but you wouldn't know how it would feel until you experienced it yourself. Moreover, we weren't asked to return demonstrate that bloody thing in nursing school because a Med-tech might lose his job.

I remember feeling that it was almost like having a baby – not that it was painful, but it felt like I was giving life to someone else. LOL

To be a blood donor you must:

Bring a valid ID (SCHOOL ID IS FINE) and know social security number
Minimum weight 110 lbs.
Age 17 - 76
Eat well (low fat) & drink fluids
No tattoos for past 12 months

Before you donate:

Drink plenty of fluids.
Don't forget to eat a good meal before you donate. Do not skip breakfast!
Eat these iron-rich foods in the week before you donate:

Fruit -- dates, dried apricots, dried peaches, dried prunes or prune juice, raisins
Vegetables -- beet greens, chard, dried beans or peas, spinach
Meat -- chicken, ham, liver, liver sausage, lean beef, lean pork, turkey, veal
Seafood -- clams, oysters, sardines, scallops, shrimp, tuna

Here are a few guidelines:

Frequency -- you can donate every 56 days.
Cold, flu, and sore throat -- you should wait until you're feeling normal.
Allergies -- you can donate if allergies are under control with no symptoms.
Antibiotics -- you must wait 48 hours after taking your last oral dose of antibiotics.
Tattoos -- wait one year.
Menstrual cycle -- you can donate during your menstrual cycle.

Here is the video clip of me donating blood:( sorry no sound)