The Importance of Donating Blood

There isn't exactly a reason why you should be a blood donor. Some might do it because they were asked by a friend to do so. Some may have a family member in need or a beloved friend. And others do it because they believe it's the right thing to do.

But whichever your reason is, what matters the most is that you are helping to save someone's life.

From women with pregnancy problems, malnourished children, people who have experienced traumatic accidents or are about to undergo a necessary surgery; several people around the globe are in need of blood transfusions every day to save their lives.

Today I went to my town's blood center called "Hemocentro Maldonado" to donate blood for my grandmother. She had a blood transfusion a couple of days ago, and in Uruguay, hospitals always ask the patient's relatives to give blood to the center to replenish the amount of blood used on their loved one.

It was my first time doing it, and the truth is, it felt extremely good afterward. Not physically, since I felt a bit dizzy once the needle was taken off of my arm, but it felt morally great.

Fifteen minutes later and the whole thing was over, so I headed over to the center's cafeteria where they gave me some sugary snacks so I could regain my composure before leaving. They also provided me there a lot of information on my do's and don'ts for the next 24 hours.

I think that we as humans tend to erase from our minds the fact that, someday, it might be us the ones that will be in need so, why not helping others while we still can, right? After all, life is the most significant gift we can give.

See you in three months, blood center! I'll be definitely coming back.

Photos taken by me with my iPhone SE