Donating Blood

Nurse Sandy reclined my chair so that I stared up at the white tile ceiling, clenching a squeeze ball every five seconds and praying that my puny veins would continue to yield blood. She turned to William, about six feet away from me, and began the process with him. "You didn't get your veins from your Mom, that's for sure! You'll probably be done before her."

"Yes, he beats me at everything," I said, reflecting on my inadequate veins and low hemoglobin count, which barely met the threshold for blood donors. My faint concern was multiplied by leaving home quarantine. It felt odd to be in a room with so many people unrelated to me and to let the nurse within my new preferred personal perimeter of 6 feet.

"Thanks for coming out today," she said to both of us kindly, as William's blood raced down the tube and my monitor beeped in alarm at my diminished blood flow.

"We wanted to help," I said, "and it's the only thing we can do to support our healthcare providers."

She adjusted the needle in my arm and increased the pressure on the blood pressure cuff. "I think you're going to make it, Laura. I was worried, but I think we'll get there.  You know, it's funny, we've been packed the past two weeks - so many donors that we don't know what to do! I'm not sure if it's the same with other states, but folks here in Colorado really come out to help."

Though super-grateful to live in a state with so many helpful humans, I did feel somewhat deflated (literally and figuratively). We had been nervous to venture out from home, to enter the big room with  6 nurses and 6 - 8 donors spread out around the perimeter. Though hand sanitizer and clean gloves were everywhere, and I watched Sandy clean my chair before I sat in it, it still felt foreign and perhaps even foolhardy to be there. Was it an empty gesture?

But then I finished, and William started feeling faint. Sandy rushed over some ice and cool cloths and gave him some apple juice as he finished donating his pint. Worry overtook my selfish concerns and I sat near him and ate Cheetos while he slowly recovered. The nurses said, "Next time, eat more. It' a cheat day when you donate because we're taking 700 - 800 calories from you."

Wow! For me that's a great reason to follow their instructions not to workout, and for William that's a head's up that he needs far more calories before giving blood. When I asked him why he refused to stop, he said, "Because no matter how bad I was feeling, the people out there who need this blood are feeling way worse."

And just like that, my worries (temporarily) slipped away.
Stay well and safe.
xoxo
Laura