55 and Not out...!!!!

It is an attempt to share my feelings, highs, lows, kick, motivation, drive and frustration for a cause called voluntary blood donation.

It was just then I crossed 18 years of age, my mother was under going a surgery and needed 3 units of blood. Me and mother happened to be of same blood group, B+ve. Naturally I was the preferred choice. We happened to live in a town by name Sagar (it is a taluk head quarter and 350 kms away from Bengaluru and happened to be 30 kms before jog falls).

It didn't had a blood bank that point of time. Need to travel to Shimoga that is 75 kms from Sagar. We went to Shimoga and we are there just before the blood bank opened for the day. Completed the formality of donating blood (that took close to an hour plus).  After that they took another 1 hour to complete the testing and making some report ready. They gave the blood in a thick plastic cover filled with ice cubes.
                                                                                                                                                     





                            
   
Then travel back to Sagar by bus. Even though it was well connected, we could manage to get the last rows in the bus. As we started nearing Sagar ice started melting and it is our own blood so strange feeling. As I have donated blood for the first time, even though I was feeling light and great. I was feeling bit restless, close 160+ kms travelling in bus, first donation, carrying blood all these were adding to it. We reached safely and mother got operated, everything went well, that is how my journey started.
    

Certificate from recent blood donation

Some how I was consistent on donating once in 3 months. I kept a good track of it and quite motivated to perform on a regular basis. It went on for next few years, as my journey of life took me to different places, I donated blood in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Mysore, Tumkur, Hassan and Hubli.
Even though it is in scarce and saves the life of people, what keeps me wondering is attitude of the people. I yet to meet some one/some family who received the blood is showing some gratitude towards the donor. Few years before whenever I was going for blood donation, I never remembered me going alone.  I always made it a point get a friend of mine and influence him to donate. The way the people have been treating us started upsetting them. Even though I was not disturbed I found it extremely difficult to motivate others after such instances. Off late I dropped the idea of taking someone for the voluntary donation.  Some of important mentions of my good friends who donated blood with me for couple of times are, Ashok, Pradeep, Nagaraj, Ajay, Satya babu, Priya, Sandhya (i thank them for making the difference).

Where my voluntary donation happens.

The most common thing that happens is, my cell phone number is registered in most of the blood banks in bengaluru and in some on line directories. I keep getting calls for the requirement of blood. When I am eligible for donation, I say yes for donation, it will be in some hospital. They tell the patient name, I need to visit that hospital blood bank. Here what was disturbing us is,  we go there and record the patient name and donate blood. No one from the patient side, will neither be present nor say a word of 'thank you'. I do understand they are in hospital and need to take care of lot of things. At least what they can do is, some body from their side, can call us whenever they get time appreciate this noble cause, which must saved their son, daughter, wife, husband, father, mother, brother or sister.

How surprising it is for some one like me, till date don't have an instance to quote appreciating us with a simple 'thank you'.  Is this how most of the donors are treated, if yes, no wonder this may be one of the reason for the gap in annual requirement of blood per year is 12 million units and only 9 million units are been donated (figures are for the entire country). I personally feel unless this changes, quite tough to bridge the gap (no doubt, myth and fear about the donation is a major issue)point is what is happening to repetitive donors. To go into more details the above 7 people, did do their first donation with me. Collectively must have done 30 donations so far. In last 5 years donations from those 7 of my friends is very negligible, probably that has a message.

                                       

If you are reading and wondering why am stressing it so much, let me quote one of the recent donations what I did. I was in the heart of the city (close M G Road) I received a call from a patients relative telling he needs blood and patient is Narayana Hrudayalaya. I said yes am coming, I went all the way to Narayana Hrudayalaya and completed the donation and returned to my work, I need not mention the case is like the above one. It took almost 4 plus hours doesn't it deserve a better treatment.

Off late what I started doing is, have become more of blood bank dependant. Here it is much better, one can chose the time and day, people know you, recognise and treat you better.  My most trusted partner for this is Rastrothhana Blood Bank. It is quite to close to my place. When I went to them first time they were 2 bed blood bank (operating in basement, probably less than 800 sft) and today grown quite big (first floor, may be 8 bed, 4000 plus sft, blood separation units, etc). Also see one very long serving soul, a dedicated, energetic and ever smiling - Mrs. Radha

With all this am thankful to Super Power (now a days not using the word God and using alternative names, is more fancy, hehe) for the journey that is still on.  When I started this journey never thought could come this far, however few years back set a goal to myself some day I should cross 130 donations, as on today I stand at 55 donations and that took me 15 years!!!!


                                                            

Some important links:

http://samvada.org/2012/news/rashtrotthana-blood-bank-tops-in-blood-collection-transfusion-in-karnataka/
http://www.bloodconnect.org/content/myths-vs-facts