50 units of nearly perfect blood

A while ago I passed 50 blood donations. They gave me a pin and a new donor card. Then I got an invitation to an awards ceremony. There was a certificate and some yummy munchies.

I even had my photo taken with the cert, but I won't be showing you that one. Linda says I look more than just a little wild eyed. The angle makes it look like I have a huge divot on the right side of my head, and that I have no hair at all. Which isn't true, there are at least a dozen strands.

Lots of the room had done 50 donations, 2 people at our table had done 75. There were two people in our room that had done 1000 donations, though I'm not sure if that's platelets or plasma. Still, it was sitting in a chair for a couple hours, 1000 times. They have spent an entire man-year with a needle hooked into their arm. (As a snarky political side note, that's considerably more than anything "Senator" Duffy has done for Canada.)

The guest speaker was a little boy about 8. He would have died essentially just after birth without many blood donations. His mother nearly broke down speaking with us, to say thank you. For all I know he got some of mine. Or not, it doesn't really matter, he got what he needed because someone gave. There are many, many people alive now because thousands of people donate blood. That blood I can replace in a few weeks has made a profound difference to those people, their families, and their friends.

There is never enough blood. Can you donate? Have you? If you can, and haven't, why not? If you don't know if you can, go find out. My next donation is on Thursday, number 55. Hope to see you there.

They talked about signing up for stem cell, and blood marrow donors and I think I'll sign up for those next donation. Please sign the organ donor card on the back of your provincial health card. Consider supporting laws that make organ donation the norm, and you have to sign the card to NOT donate. One of my friends is alive today because she got a kidney donated by someone who was a genetic stranger to her.

In other news, the core stuff is continuing. Ran 15 minutes tonight before the award ceremony, nice and easy.