Bring smile on a face, save a life

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Disclaimer: This particular blog has been written with the sole purpose of disseminating information about blood & platelets donation.

I’ve had never donated blood all my life! Incomprehensible? It’s true. In all of the 46 years I have inhabited this planet, many times for reasons in my control, and a few times for reasons beyond my control, I’ve not donated blood. I’ve been living with this itch, which had been getting stronger with passing years. It was as if the existing itch was not pinching enough that I attended a healthcare education program through my office which talked about donation of platelets, how critically beneficial it is for the patients and how difficult it is to find the right donors for it. Having registered to be a donor and not having done anything beyond that added to the sting of my itch.

Last Friday, I received a call from a young boy asking me if on Saturday I could donate platelets for his sister who had very recently gone through Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) after two rounds of chemotherapy. I agreed. Saturday came, the doctor did not come. Now it was to be done on Monday. In the normal course, the regular Monday meeting, which if missed is a not so welcome idea, could have been my quick excuse. This time, even this meeting was postponed to Thursday. I decided to accept and simply go ahead.

The entire process, although time consuming, is fairly simple. It’s involves a brief physical examination, followed by a blood sample testing. If all ok, you are connected to a machine, which sucks your blood, extracts the platelets and injects the blood back in your body. For a first timer like me, psychologically it was a little strenuous, than for any other reason. There are some extremely simple precautions one has to take before and after donating the platelets, which are like a life saver for a cancer patient after the BMT. Platelets can be stored for max. 5 days. To my amazement I learnt that a normal healthy person can donate platelets once every fifteen days! Also the platelets get replenished in the body within the next 2 days.

I am delighted that perhaps I could bring back the smile on a face. Not only that, perhaps I have saved a life.


PS: About 60% of the population is eligible for blood donation, yet less than 5% donate.

Comments

  1. pankbajApril 5, 2016 at 7:27 AM

    God is watching us from a distance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vinay BajajApril 5, 2016 at 8:18 AM

    Bro your comment has left me speechless!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vipan SawhneyApril 5, 2016 at 11:03 AM

    also the act transcends caste colour and family creed. Bravo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Vinay BajajApril 5, 2016 at 11:13 AM

    Yes Vipan, you have touched upon a must to include aspect...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Vinay BajajApril 5, 2016 at 11:13 AM

    Yes Vipan, you have touched upon a must to include aspect...

    ReplyDelete

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