Once every 4 months I go somewhere on my own.  When I get there I am always greeted like a hero.  Everywhere I look there are beaming smiles and comments of “we’re so pleased to see you again”.  I get to lie down for 20 minutes (on my own without a child trying to climb on me) and then I get made a drink and forced to eat biscuits.  When I leave it’s to the sound of people thanking me and hoping for my return.  Sounds great, don’t you think?

Once every 4 months all I have to do is endure a pretty insignificant pinching/scratching feeling in my arm.  I wouldn’t say it hurts but it’s a little uncomfortable for about 3 seconds (I’ve counted it in my head, that’s all it takes).

Once every 4 months I give blood.  It’s something that I’ve done for a while.  I’ve made 15 donations so far, which I’m quietly proud of.  It has, of course, become more important to me since I’ve had children.

It’s something that I’ve never really talked about to other people.  I always assumed that most people that could, would.  After all, it doesn’t really hurt and I’ve never suffered any ill effects.  I also didn’t want people to think that I was either showing off or trying to push them into doing something they didn’t want to do.

It’s only lately that I’ve realised that a lot of people that I know don’t give blood and it seems that it’s mostly because it just hasn’t occurred to them, or they’ve thought about it but never quite got round to it.

Last year I started reading a blog called Three Ring Circus.  Tiff’s past and ongoing story is amazing; sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always inspiring.  She is a fabulous and strong woman.  Her youngest daughter, Ivy, has been diagnosed with immune deficiency and a monthly infusion of Intragam P makes her life liveable.  I had never heard of this before I read Tiff’s blog.  I always assumed that giving blood meant helping people that needed whole blood.  Blood lost through an accident or operation.  I didn’t know that my blood could help a little girl who is poorly.  A little girl who needs anti-bodies.  I’d like you to read Tiff’s speech to the Australian Red Cross (Ivy was their poster girl for a month – an advertisement for donating blood) rather than me twittering on about it any longer.

I don’t like to tell other people what to do but I just want to say that it’s easy, it doesn’t take much time, it doesn’t hurt that much and it helps so many people.  And if you clicked the link, how could you not help that beautiful little girl?

I got the husb to take this picture.  If you look really, really hard you can just about see the puncture mark – not that big really although I must ask why they use such a big plaster next time.