THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF ME.

I have donated blood more times than I can count( please forgive the exaggeration,its needed for an "ezigbo mmadu effect") . I remember well the first time I donated. I went to a family friend's place with my mother. Our friend's aged father was hospitalized. They were told he needed blood transfusion. Then came the big problem- there was no blood, at least not in the hospital's blood bank. But I had some in my veins. Then at that moment,the spirit led me and I said " I will donate". My mother and the lady stirred at me and I spoke up more audibly, " I will donate".

Thankfully, the man is still alive today and he has never stopped sending regards to me.

I first heard of blood donation over the Radio. But I got more details from a poster on the corridor of the Medical Center in my school. You know how new students are made to undergo medical tests. Very frustrating experience. No matter how early you come, you will still be late, so you spend hours standing as you wait for your turn. Stirring at all the posters on the wall helped keep me from going crazy. Thankfully, I picked up some medical knowledge too.

At some point in my blood donation "spree", I observed that a fraction of the people I gave blood died anyway. One man even died while my blood was still being transfused. Can you imagine!!! That one incident almost discouraged me from donating again.

You know I am an African, and superstition is the most comfortable explanation we give to almost everything. So in my naive mind, I thought I was cursed or something, maybe my blood was. But looking back now,I can understand that those people were in dire conditions already. Maybe they were far too gone for any medical intervention to save them. Getting a blood transfusion could help,but unfortunately, it did not. No Doctor will request for a blood transfusion for the fun of it. Its not some short cut to attaining recovery lazy Doctors choose to explore. It's always for the good of the patient. Moreover, the blood is not entering their(Doctors) body. It's not like it can be served as wine and enjoyed.

Blood donation and transfusion opponents could look at it and say blood transfusion does not save after all. But I know people who are alive today partly because my blood was poured into their system.

Like I said,it's only a fraction that died any way. Pregnant women are the hugest benefactor of my (blood) donation. Please don't say I am sexist. One woman, pregnant, woke up healthy and fine,then by midday, suddenly everything went wrong and she needed a Cesarean to save her life. She and her baby survived. She was transfused the (my)blood that had been drawn for someone else,but the man died before it could be transfused.

One of the reasons Christians extol Jesus Christ is because he shed his blood for us. So you will agree with me that giving your blood for the benefit of another is pretty much a big deal.I know my blood is not the blood of Jesus,but it has saved lives and so can yours.

I have not donated blood to people I would call my "loved ones", not my father,mother,brother,sister, friend or even relative. But it's human to see need in others and you stand up to help them. If that is not love, I don't know what it is.

I have been told a few times that women of child bearing age should not donate blood. Something about them getting pregnant unexpectedly and needing the blood themselves. But that has never discouraged me. I am happy when I see or remember my recipients. A good number of them do not know me and cannot recognize me .  Anyway, I did my own research and I learned that as long as you are fit and healthy, aged between 17-60, weigh more than 50kg and blood test certifies you okay to donate, then you can donate.

Some others say blood is sacred and should not be shared. The irony of it is that sacred or not,shared or not,the body destroys its own blood after a while and produces new ones. Moreover, one can get hit by a car and their blood will spill away. One can get butchered by Fulani herdsmen, and the precious blood will flow like rain on the ground. So sharing blood with another to save their life is not the worst way to " lose" blood.

All the blood available in blood banks were donated by people. Whether for the money or out of kindness. Regardless of which, blood donation is one of the purest forms of human kindness.

Donating blood saves lives and no one knows when their life may need saving.

I applaud people that donate  their kidney. My magnimousity has not attained that height. For the Malaysia boys that do it for money, God bless you too, as you save lives as well.