Blood and such

I donated blood for the first time yesterday!

A bit of backstory: when I was two years old, I was diagnosed with a rare bleeding disorder. Only one parent had to have the disorder (my mom), but both parents have to carry the gene. I was not allowed to participate in sports or many common things growing up- against doctors' orders. They were always afraid I would get hit or fall and have internal bleeding. No sports. No owning a bicycle. Against the doctors' wishes and after my pleading, my mom did allow me to take gymnastics and acrobatics. Dance was good because it was relatively no-contact and therefore classified as "safe". Absolutely, under no circumstances, was I to have surgery. This was discovered as I was being wheeled back to surgery for a tonsillectomy- one of the doctors literally ran across the hospital to stop the surgeon and told my parents "there's not a doctor in the country who would touch her with a 10-foot pole". And they didn't. My mom was unable to find a babysitter or childcare, even with churches- no one wanted the liability. She was forced into being a stay-at-home-mom after she had worked outside the home her entire life. Add to this the fact I was continuously ill as a child- chronic tonsillitis, bronchitis, etc. I missed a lot of school. I lived a pretty sheltered life as a child.

I was tested again as a teenager, and again in my early 20's- same results. I still have all my wisdom teeth. I could never donate blood or become an organ donor. Having children was extremely risky- my mom had the disorder also, only not as high on the scale, and she almost died with all three of her children.

When I went through my first miscarriage last year, additional precautions were taken. Since my blood specialist had retired and the hospital was unable to obtain my past medical records, I underwent ALL of the previous tests- and found out I no longer had the disorder. Say, what?! How would that even be possible?? So I was sent to a hematologist that specialized in rare cases. Went through more testing. And more. Everything came back normal. Not only normal, but GREAT. All of my illnesses as a baby/child/teenager/young adult was causing the disorder. It is rare but can happen.

So I got the green light- to donate blood, become an organ donor, have surgeries... I was so happy, I cried. The doctor called me personally to go over everything with me and asked me to keep her in the loop if I ever needed any more surgeries. Of course, I agreed.

Per blood donation standards, I had to wait 6 months from my last miscarriage/pregnancy before I could donate. It has been just over that time frame, so when we saw the sign at PopCon (a pop culture convention in our city) yesterday, my boyfriend and I decided to do it. I was disheartened to learn that on the biggest day of the convention (Saturday) only ONE person donated. This is something I have wanted to do virtually my entire life and have never been able to. If you can donate, please do. This is a cause I feel strongly about, and the need is great. It took approximately 30 minutes total. Even if it's a minor inconvenience to you, it can have a major impact. More so if you have a rare blood type (like I do) or are a universal donor (like my boyfriend is). It was relatively painless, and you get free juice and snacks! The ladies were sweet, patient, and engaging, answering all my questions and making everyone feel comfortable. Check out your local blood center and help save a life!