Giving Can Hurt
I can’t tell you what day it was or even what year at this point, but I do remember not wanting to do it...
My wife, Sheri, and I were living in Escondido, California at the time. We exited the public library and saw a Blood Mobile in the parking lot. The “Vampire Bus,” as I called it, did not look all that busy. I mean, who busts down doors to give blood? But my wife, being the giving person she is, told me we were giving blood. I did not want to, but she is hard to say no to. So, despite my discomfort with having a needle shoved into my arm and having blood taken from me, in we went. I’ve been donating ever since.
I can’t remember how that first donation went, but it wasn’t traumatic, or I would not have continued giving. It wasn’t traumatic, but I will not lie and say that it has always been easy and painless. Giving can hurt. There are times that I have sat on the table with a nurse moving the needle around inside of me because they missed the vein. I have been left with bruises on my arm due to misses. The needle can still hurt once they find the vein, and it is drawing out the blood. I don’t like it. You drink the water all day, stay hydrated and do everything you are supposed to do to get your body ready to donate, and sometimes it’s just not easy. Giving can hurt!
So, now you are asking yourself, “Why does he keep giving if he doesn’t like it and it hurts?” It’s a fair question. First, let me share with you statistics from the American Red Cross website…
- Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood and or platelets.
- Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S.
- Nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6.500 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.
- Nearly 16 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
- Sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year. Sickle cell patients can require blood transfusions throughout their lives.
- The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 units.
- A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
- Blood and platelets cannot be manufactured; they can only come from volunteer donors.
- The blood type most often requested by hospitals is type O.
- One donation can help save more than one life.
- According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.9 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2023. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
I bold-faced the bullet points that stood out to me. The answer to your question is really quite simple. I continue to give because it is something I can do. In a world where we often feel helpless to assist those in need, this is a tangible answer. I thank God that I don’t have cancer or sickle cell disease, and there is not much I can do for someone in a car accident, but I can give blood. I can donate because others have it worse than I, and yes, I can help. To reiterate, giving can hurt, but it is nothing compared to what many recipients of donatd blood are going through.
Donating blood is not the only way to give, though. Our special industry and community are among the best in giving back to those in need. From PromoCares, PPEF, PromoKitchen, A Place at The Table, Band Together, American Cancer Society, Operation Smile, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Wounded Warriors, and so many other orgs in between, the branded merch community is an impactful, giving community
So, here’s my urge to you. Find an organization that you are passionate about and find ways to give, whether it hurts or not. And, if you want to donate blood, bring friends, families, heck, entire industries with you by finding a local Red Cross donor site here: AMERICAN RED CROSS
– Shane Lussier, Brand Fuel Account Manager
