Donated blood today.
It must be sometime in 2nd year of my MBBS curriculum that we students
attended the proceedings at our hospital on the Blood Donation Day.
Though, then we were taken for being the 'crowd' and to fill the empty
auditorium (& we were also offered samosas, pastries and cold
drinks!!), I felt since then the desire to donate blood myself.
Either due to pale conjunctivas, cold-cough, upcoming menstrual phase,
or due to the myths my family held...years passed and I never could
really do it.
Particularly remembering my Final year days, we conducted a blood
donation camp in tribute to a deceased, and my Mom didn't let me leave
the house. (The reason was: Your exams are coming. You'll get weak.)
Intern year made me even more desperate. Being the Pediatric Intern,
the interactions with the thalassemic kids (so many kids...dispersed
over the age groups) and their helpless parents...It pinched and
pricked why we could do nothing else but give repeated blood
transfusions to keep them going.
Over the period of one month of our duties, we made friends with them,
few of which required transfusions fortnightly. Sweet, tender kids
with smiles on their faces, and tensed, sad parents who painfully saw
their darlings needled.
So, after 6 years of my first desire, I today, without telling anyone
at my home, went to the hospital and donated a unit of blood. For
those kids, I tell you.
PS: Mom Dad have scolded me quite harshly for not informing them. Dad
himself is a volunteer blood donar, and my Mom believes that his
weight gain is due to previous such donations; and so he doesn't
donate anymore. Total myth.
PPS: I also donated blood because I get to drink Gold Coin!!! ;-)
besides the frooti, chaanch, gulabjamun, chips, samosa they gave us at
the blood bank! ;-)
So, here I enjoy my chilled glass of apple juice in the satisfaction
of having done something for my cute little friends.
Do that. Be brave. Be kind.
