In August this year Australian Red Cross Lifeblood was calling for 10 383 more donors over a two week period to give blood and plasma to prevent a potential shortage in blood and plasma stocks.
I have given thought to giving blood many times but never got around to the actual giving so this call out got me motivated to stop thinking and start doing. On my first visit to Lifeblood I had to fill out a questionnaire, chat with one of the nurses to make sure i met all the requirements and do a finger prick test to check my iron levels then it was time to give. It was such a simple process and everyone made me feel so comfortable plus, I got a huge chocolate chip cookie after my donation!
Receiving a text from Lifeblood a week later to tell me my blood was already on its way to give life to someone at a Brisbane hospital was a bloody good feeling. There is a minimum of a 3 month wait between blood donations but something I could do sooner was make a plasma donation so that is what I booked in for next. It’s a bit of a different process than giving blood but once again, the Lifeblood team were amazing and put me at ease and once again, I got my choc chip cookie. I also got a keyring with my blood type on it for my second visit and yes I received another text message letting me know what my plasma donation was doing to help.
I cannot encourage people to do this enough if they meet the requirements. You are doing good and you are left feeling good!
To find out more and to make an appointment to give blood or plasma, visit lifeblood.com.au, call 13 14 95 or download the Donate Blood app.
