The Bond of Blood
by Nihithasri Anepally
Hello Readers! This article is to raise awareness for blood donations, and to help encourage people to donate blood. The US is currently in a critical blood shortage, and it is imperative that more people donate blood to help those in need. This article helps highlight how blood donations can alter the course of an individual's life in a positive way. Happy Reading!
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The joyous sound of the ringing bell ringing: a novel sound he never thought he would hear.
“You’re cancer-free!”
The nurses gathered around the boy and congratulated him for achieving such a feat. After a few hugs and cries of joy, the adults left the room leaving the boy to pack his belongings.
While packing his things, he looked around and noticed the table with clusters of needles and tubes. He walked closer out of curiosity.
“Donor - AB Negative,” he said aloud. He suddenly realized that this was the tube he was constantly connected to for his leukemia treatments. It was the only thing that managed to subside his increasing anemia levels throughout his cancer journey.
This realization plunged him into a world of memories. Well, one in particular.
Flashback
“Aiden! You have to take your pills!” A nurse yelled across the room and stopped to catch her breath after chasing the boy for a while.
The boy, determined to get out of the hospital, kept running until someone caught his eye.
A girl with golden locks covering her green eyes outstretched her arm to one of the nurses near her. She was seated as the nurse inserted a sterile needle into her arm. The boy flinched. He had been hospitalized for so long and had his fair share of experience dealing with needles, but still had a profound fear of them.
But what really got his attention was why was she there? She didn’t look sick- she looked quite well on the contrary.
He watched silently from afar as a pint of blood was drawn from the girl’s arm.
“What’s your blood type, miss?” the nurse asked the girl while applying a bandage to her arm.
“I believe it is AB negative, sir,” she responded quite calmly.
“AIDEN.”
The girl immediately shifted her attention towards the noise and saw the boy who knew he was dead at that moment. The last thing he saw before he dashed away was her bright smile.
The Present
The boy shook his thoughts away and took the last of his belongings. The boy, incredibly grateful, left the room, quietly thanking the unknown person whose blood was flowing through his veins.
As he left his room for the last time, he walked past the golden lock girl- the one he saw a year ago. They accidentally bumped into each other, awkwardly smiled, and went on their separate ways again.
Little did he know, this girl was the one who saved his life countless times.
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Blood donors are extremely significant as one donation can save up to three lives. According to American Red Cross, at least one person in the United States needs a blood donor every two seconds. This statistic itself speaks a million about how crucial it is.
Blood donations have made such a positive impact on people, especially for those with traumatic injuries who need to undergo immediate surgeries for their chronic illnesses, blood disorders, and so much more. A single blood donation could start a new chapter in a patient's life because blood donations support their recovery.
It takes simply less than ten minutes to draw blood and potentially save someone’s life. Doctors recommend blood donors to eat and rest well before donating so they won’t feel any symptoms of dizziness.
Blood donations can be made every eight weeks or up to six times yearly. Along with this, the process of donating is quite simple. Blood donations have been crucial for so many patients in the past and continue to be.
You don’t have to be a doctor to save lives. Just donate blood. It’s safe. It’s simple. And it saves lives.
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We hope you enjoyed reading this article, and that you learned helpful information regarding blood donations. It is crucial to donate blood, so if possible, we encourage you to schedule a blood donation appointment! It's quick, easy, and you never know when you may need blood donated.
Thanks for reading,
Nihithasri and the Writing Committee :)