So I gave blood last night and I think it’s a pretty important thing to do. There’s a lot of reasons why it can be pretty cool and unless you have a condition which prohibits you from giving blood or that you are squeamish to the point that you WILL pass out/throw up if you do it, I think you should give it a go! There’s no downsides really.
ld give it a go! There’s no downsides really.
Let’s talk about what you get if you give blood:
- A GREAT feeling for helping your community
- A cool little card that tells you your blood type (I really liked receiving this because I didn’t know what blood type I was prior to giving)
- A little fact sheet about your blood type: how many people share it? What kind of effects can it have on your personality? (Note: in Japan a lot of people believe that your personality is influenced by your blood type!)
- Juice/tea/coffee and sweets
Those are all pretty cool things, I think anyway.
Giving blood is essentially painless; you get a little finger prick when they test your blood for iron at the start (only sore if you’re a drama queen like myself!) and a little jab when they put the needle in your arm, and take it back out. It’s a little stingy, truth be told, but the feeling fades within just a few seconds. All good! Easy!
I first gave blood when I was seventeen, just a little while before I turned eighteen. It was really good fun! Everything went super well and I felt absolutely great after as well. They gave me a wee chocolate lollipop shaped with a heart which I really appreciated and then my friend, who joined me, bought me a can of coke for being a brave girl. I’m not a big fan of needles; whenever I get jabs, I HAVE to look away. I can’t see it go in my arm by any means. The first time I gave blood I expressed this worry and they offered to put a little cover over my arm and the needle so I couldn’t even see the needle if I tried. Take that, morbid curiosity! Not today! You’re giving blood. When you go to do it, everyone’s going to be super nice and attentive to you so there’s nothing to worry about in any, way, shape or form.
So I haven’t given blood since I was seventeen; shortly after, I turned eighteen and started getting my tattoos so last night was my first real chance in about four years to do it, so I had to take my chance.
For the few hours before I gave blood last night, I started getting butterflies, feeling a little nervous about the needle. I told myself, I’ve done it before, I was fine, I’ll be fine tonight. And guess what? I was! Absolutely A-ok. I filled my pint bag in about five or ten minutes, grabbed my KitKat and some orange juice and boosted to KFC, which was very nice. Another treat for being a brave girl!! It’s all such an easy process.
My blood type is B+; I remember when I came home and told my dad my blood type when I found it out, he went, “Who’s kid are you?!” It kind of feeds into this running gag my sisters and I have where the punchline is I’m adopted. I’m not adopted, by the way. Or…I don’t think I am? Kids get blood types completely random form their parents, right?
Anyway. The little card I got about my blood type made me feel pretty special! Around 9% of people in Scotland share my blood type. According to the Japanese, my blood type means that I am thought to be “attractive but aggressive, empathetic but selfish.” We’re intuitive, balanced and flexible and 40% of B plussies are thought to be millionaires as well. Fuck yes! Last night I noticed that a graph said that ScotBlood have around 8 days worth of B+ blood in their stores, but the website says that as of 12:13pm today there are 6 days worth of blood now.
All across Scotland, you can give blood just about anywhere. Last night I gave my blood near the East Kilbride town centre along with LOTS of people (there was a massive queue of people waiting to donate. I was so proud of everyone!). Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness all have blood donation centres but ScotBlood also collects blood across communities all over Scotland. Keep a look out at your town hall or any local churches around you, because that’s where they usually come to collect donations. They come every few months, which makes sense because you can only actually give blood every 12 weeks. If you give blood once, they’ll send you letters to tell you whenever they’re coming to your town.
Usually you don’t have to make an appointment to give blood; in my experience, I’ve just shown up. This may vary on where you are so if you’re unsure, give ScotBlood a ring! They’ll keep you right. As said, there are always centres open all over Scotland so really you’re never low on opportunity to give blood if you want to.
Maybe it’s just because I’m a weirdo but I find giving blood to be a genuinely good feeling experience, and it’s vital as well. If you’re able to and willing, please consider popping round to a donation centre or to wherever ScotBlood has come to take donations in your local area! It won’t just make you feel amazing but it’ll save lives and help countless people. It’s easy peasy, you got this!
FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SCOTBLOOD AND WHERE, WHEN AND IF YOU CAN GIVE BLOOD