My blood donation experience

The company that I work for coordinates Red Cross blood drives five times a year. The last time they had set up a blood drive, I had signed up to give blood only to find out later that I was ineligible since its been less than a year that I had visited India.

This time, I knew I was eligible so I signed up for it again. The only time that I had given blood before was back in college in India. I asked a colleague of mine if he was up to it and he readily agreed. So on Friday we both went to the blood mobile located nearby. Since he hadn't have his dinner the night before, we decided to go after lunch.

All went well and we both gave about a pint of blood each. Mine got over first and I was sipping orange juice and waiting for my friend. Suddenly there was some commotion and I saw the staff hurriedly making ice packs and placing them over my friend's forehead. Only then did I remember that my friend, a devout person, had completed a month long fast just two days ago. I got a little bit worried but they reassured me that this is normal for a first time donor and that he will be alright.

Sure enough, in a few minutes, he was sitting besides me sipping orange juice and munching cookies. To make light of the matter, I related to him my first experience as a donor and how I felt alright and was ridiculing people scaring me off that I'd feel giddy and faint. But the minute I had stood up to attend classes, the whole world spun and I had fallen down - and I had blacked out for a minute. As I was joking about this incident, I saw my friend sway and collapse, right on cue! I hurriedly notified the staff and they shouted his name. His eyes opened but it had a far away look and he was not registering a single word of what we were telling him. We tried on, me calling out to him in Hindi and he gradually regained consciousness. All the while I was bending down over him and I myself started feeling giddy. The nurse took hold of me and made me sit for a while.

After a few minutes, my friend called out to me to ask me to call up friends to drop us back to our office. I stood over him and as I was telling him not to worry, the world started spinning. I almost collapsed but the nurse managed to make me lie down and she placed ice packs on me too....brrr! Later on, my friend told me that it was good I collapsed(!!) coz he was feeling a bit embarrased that being a guy he was lying down and me a girl was feeling perfectly fine! The staff thought that we were husband and wife and she told me how natural it is to feel giddy when you see a loved one collapse and that they have seen many couples do the same. They were so excited to see us collapse - silly first time donor couple - that I didn't have the heart to correct them.

My friend had a good 30 mins rest and he felt rejuvenated and strong enough to drive back to our office which was just a mile away. That one mile drive had never felt so long as I was worried he might pass out again! I had never seen anyone faint right before my eyes so I was feeling a bit worried. Plus he had turned awfully pale and I was feeling guilty all the while that it was me who got him into it in the first place. Luckily we reached back safe. He decided to let a colleague with whom he car-pools to drive back home. I also called V over to pick me up and left my car in the office parking lot for the night.

According to the American Red Cross, I can give blood again in February 08, 2008. I hope they organize a blood drive then too so that I can participate again. I wonder what adventure I'll encounter the next time!