Give blood, give life

A flurry of activity greeted us when we stepped into i-space on Thursday, April 24th. The Red Cross Humanitarian Network was present in our school on that day to carry out the blood donation drive. One would have thought that fear of the needle would put off many from supporting this meaningful cause, but it did not deter the many brave and compassionate NYJCians and teachers alike from flocking into i-space to donate their blood. Kudos to all blood donors!

One of the many brave and compassionate souls donating blood.

To ensure that it would not jeopardise the donors’ health, all who wished to donate blood were made to undergo stringent check-ups pertaining to their blood haemoglobin level. It was a simple process of pricking the index finger and dropping a little amount of blood into copper sulphate solution. Blood that sank would pass the test.

In the midst of nervous tension, students made jokes and spread laughter among the queue of strangers. An interesting comment was, “My blood mixed with your blood. We are brothers!” That set some roars down the line of donors and put some rapidly beating hearts to ease.

Donors who had completed the process were encouraged to help themselves to some refreshments at another part of the room that was stocked with drinks and snacks. Around the table, it was easy to spot donors with smiles on their faces. For most of them, it was their first time donating and it was quite evident that they were pleased to have had that experience.

The donating process itself is rather short and smooth. We would like to stress that the ability to tolerate pain varies among people and the above account is not a definite experience for everyone. Fear should not deter people from wanting to donate. It is after all, nothing compared to those who are in need of blood.

The amount of blood donated might seem very little, but if everyone chips in, there will be a sufficient pool of blood for those in need. On a more serious note, donated blood will go a long way in providing aid to those whose lives take an unexpected turn for the worse.

Below is an account of our reporter’s blood donation experience:

When it finally came to my turn, I was settled on the stretched chair and left alone for a while to take in the plight of my fellow schoolmates who had blood flowing out of them. A nurse came along and applied anaesthesia to the area on my arm that the needle would be inserted into. She then got to work on some syringes that would collect blood later.

The insertion of the first needle into the vein was needless to say, a sharp, painful sensation that lasted for a very short while. She took that out and to my horror, she held out a shockingly thick metal needle that made me turn away on instinct. This time was not much different from the first, it hurt as well. After this dramatic encounter however, everything was left to the flow of the blood and all I had to do was squeeze a complimentary stress ball in the shape of a drop of blood.

The waiting process was a period of looking around at the other donors and peering down to see if the packet of blood was completely filled yet. If you concentrate hard enough, you might feel a light, giddy sensation as you pump with the stress ball. That perhaps, might be the feeling of blood leaving your body. The duration of the donation would depend on the flow of blood. Mine ended rather quickly and it was not long before the nurse came round to stop the process.

Removing the needle caused no sensation and it was done in a quick and careful motion. I was then told to apply pressure with a wad of cotton wool on the wound as I remained on the chair to rest. After some time, another nurse came along and wrapped the wound up in a bandage with the words “GIVE BLOOD” on them...

By Hillary Liow & Yue Hui Ting