Even wusses can sometimes be heroes
by Tim Dunbar
The Metropolitan
I hate needles. Most people do, that's a given. No one says, 'hey, let's go get stuck, it'll be fun!" Even people who've had acupuncture will probably tell you they hate needles. Folks with tattoos? Same story. Give me "The Exorcist": show me the gore, the pea-soup vomit, Regan MacNeil's possessed head doing a 360, and I can laugh through it. But, show me the scene where, during a medical procedure, she had a very long, very sharp needle stuck into her neck and I turn away every time. So let's agree that no one particularly likes to be poked with a needle.
Well, sometimes ya just gotta buck up and take it. Sometimes getting poked means saving a life, and (silly rabbit, segues are for kids) this Thursday, Sept. 23, you have a chance to do just that as Bonfils returns to campus for its semi-annual blood drive.
As a regular aphaeresis donor, I have had plenty of needle poking in my time. Aphaeresis is a method by which only certain components are taken from the blood. The process takes two needles, one to take the blood before whatever product they need is spun out of it; the other to return the blood once the machine takes what it needs. I have more track-marks than Keith Richards and I can tell you that I have never passed out, puked or, obviously, died from this procedure. Not once.
Which is why I can, with a clear conscious, urge you to donate on Thursday. For one thing, they only use one needle for whole blood donations, for another-and this is key-they feed you free snacks after you've donated. Plus, the folks at Bonfils are very nice and their needles are very, very sharp. So sharp in fact, you will barely feel it go in. And I'm not telling you this like a doctor who says 'this will just hurt a little;' I'm telling you because it's true, and the reason most people say they don't donate is because they're afraid of needles. Don't be; I'm the biggest wuss on the planet when it comes to pain and I do the two-needle thing about once every two weeks.
Bonfils needs to collect 4,200 units of blood each week to fulfill patient needs, so stop into the North Classroom Atrium areas C & D today between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, or reserve a time by calling Corrie Santos at 303-556-6791. Donations take less than an hour, so take a deep breath, imagine yourself needing blood and not having it immediately available because they were one unit short of your blood type, then roll up your sleeve and remember to wiggle your toes and look the other way when they whip out the needle. When it's over you'll feel like a hero. |
