There's love in the blood

© 2019 Christy K Robinson

As a church musician, and school pianist before that, I can't count the times I've played this old hymn, Power in the Blood.

There is power, power, wonder-working power
In the blood of the Lamb
There is power, power, wonder-working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb

There's also power in your blood!

If you're healthy and it's not against your religious beliefs, give blood or platelets. This saves lives and improves lives for sick, injured, and chronic or critical patients. People with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood diseases or disorders such as hereditary anemias and aplastic anemia need periodic blood transfusions. Chemotherapy patients also need blood components.

According to the Red Cross,

here are the reasons that a patient may undergo a blood transfusion:

• Most patients who have a major surgical procedure will have a blood transfusion to replace any blood loss during their surgery.
• Blood transfusions are used for patients who have experienced serious injuries from car crashes or natural disasters.
• Individuals with an illness that causes anemia, such as leukemia or kidney disease, will often be the recipients of blood transfusions.

I've donated blood or platelets since the 1980s, in Arizona and California. My father, who had the rare AB+ blood type, donated blood from the 1960s through the 1980s. I remember several times as a young girl, that a hospital would call us at 10pm or later, and ask if my dad could come in and donate a pint to help save the life of an accident victim. These days, with all the filtering and checks for communicable diseases, blood or blood components are given on one day, lab-tested or processed over the next several days, then transfused to a patient.

If needles or the sight of blood frighten you, tell your blood bank technician or phlebotomist, and they'll do the stick while you look away or watch TV, then cover up the site.

Whole blood goes out to the machine, red cells come back.

 If you give whole blood, about a pint, your time in the chair will be about 15 minutes, but you can't return to donate for a couple of months. However, if you give platelets and plasma, for which patients have a greater need, your donation time will be about two hours because they extract what they need and return your blood cells to you through the same needle. This is called pheresis. It means that you could potentially donate again in eight to 21 days. Your blood bank can help you decide both their needs and what you are willing and able to do as far as time and health allow.

Without your knowing or feeling it, your healthy body makes new blood components every day. 

What you get from donating blood and time

Get free stuff!

 Some blood banks partner with community business and give gift cards, vouchers for entertainment, or restaurant food as thanks for your donations. A result of the lab-testing they do can be put in your passworded account on their website, showing your hemoglobin, cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, and (bummer!) your weight. 

Plus you get snacks during and after! Where else will a health professional urge you to eat junk food and chocolate cookies, and drink OJ or soda?

Best of all, it's not the treats that bring you in or bring you back: it's the knowledge that you have saved or improved the life of another human being. That's priceless.


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Trish said: "Thank you, as I have had to have platelets before."

Christine said: "Thanks to people like you, there are bags of blood in the hospital blood banks when I need three bags to live, like I needed in June. THANK Y’ALL." 

Jan said: "Platelets saved my life two years ago. You are a blessing to so many people. You're awesome and blessed to be healthy enough to provide this service. Thank you on behalf of all the people who will benefit from your generosity.”

 

Kara said: “Your dad and all his siblings were always so generous in so many ways. Grandma sure raised them right! And those beautiful lessons have been passed down... “but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:10’.

 

Heather said: “God bless you! I just saw a good friend I hadn't seen in a year, and he was suffering from a form of leukemia that requires platelets every week. He's alive thanks to people like you.”