Give as long as you are able
MY INTRODUCTION to blood donation was as a teenager in lower sixth form at Kingston College. My zoology class was treated to a field trip to the Blood Bank by the best teacher I’ve met, Mrs Barber. We were amazed by the organisation and efficiency that we witnessed, and even though too young to donate, we were thrilled (all boys, no fear displayed) to have our blood tested and our blood groups revealed to us. I left with bragging rights, the only boy with the not-toocommon ‘AB +ve’.
Before we departed, we were privileged to lay eyes on the Roll of Honour. I stared in
disbelief on the large plaque on the wall with the names of those persons who had donated dozens of times. I decided that day that I must join that list.
The opportunity to begin this quest presented itself two years later in my first year at university. I was a member of the Circle K Club and we were hosting a blood drive. I learnt of the crucial role that blood donation plays in our health system while helping to hand out over 5,000 flyers in the weeks leading up to event. Of course, I told everyone that I would give. Yet on the day, fear gripped me and I did everything else to help out at the drive until it was almost time to pack up. I finally mustered the courage and was the last person to donate that day. As with many things in life, the first time was the hardest and I haven’t looked back since. The main thing that struck me was the number of persons who were turned away, as they were ineligible for one reason or another. I vowed to myself that I would give as long as I am able.
Through the years, I have learnt of the importance of voluntary donation. Blood is one of those things in life that’s best when it’s free. I dream of a Jamaica where the blood supply is always adequate and 100 per cent voluntary. We can have, and need to have, a health system where not even one life is lost because of the nonavailability of blood. I know persons who needed three units of blood to save their lives and I know of someone who needed 30. That means, apart from all the health workers, 30 persons contributed to saving that life. I wholeheartedly believe that this sort of giving is endorsed by Christ, who proclaimed that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”