my story

Its another long 6am – 9.40am day today at college today. Started with my dragging my feet into the lecture hall for a full morning of lectures, what else can I do but even think of donating blood at the end of the day? Held at the SP staff center, it was my 1st time donating blood. The NSS volunteers were very kind & courteus, they just simply can’t stop thanking us for donating, its like we are really doing something great or like “heros” duh!. But I guess that helped alot on in-flux of donors to the staff center.



I still have to go through the long screening & registration process (up to 2 hours before being poked) even donning my donor card. I can understand the requirement for compulsory health screening on visit, but filling up of particulars? don’t the NSS have past donor info on their databases? *

Donating was fast, with some interesting dramas happening around my immediate vincity during my period of “draining” - Some feld dizzy/propped legs up, looked like they rode cockscrew 20 times in a row, waited like 2hours to donate only to learn that they can’t donate after they can’t locate a vein… pity them. Donation was fast & smooth for me, I even got a niffy blue bandage, chatted with the SP red cross volunteers about offers & qualifications they provide as a first aider, anyway, later do I know that my SAF first aid & CPR license can be converted to a civilian one quite easily if I join them. Moreover, if I have a driving license, I can even be an ambulance driver, (so as they require too). Duh!


Took off my bandage only to see a small exit hole, surrounded by a 1cmX1cm light blueblack. I guess the most painful part of donating blood is not the needle, but the part when you have to pull the plasters off the wound without plucking any hairs off your arm!

I had a great fear of the needle even when I am writing this .so possibly the doctor had seen my uncomfortable nature and asked me to push off.

A life with Hemophilia in India