Needle-phobia

I have a major needle-phobia. It dates back to my childhood where my mother, bless her heart, had to hold me down to have a shot at the pediatrician's office. I was so sick and desperately needed the shot to get rid of this nasty stomach virus I had. I remember it very clearly!

You would think that after giving birth to two children (via C-section!) that I would have conquered that fear by now. Unfortunately, I have not. I am still afraid. My palms still sweat when I think about a needle being stuck in my arm... or my booty. It is this fear that has kept me from donating blood. When Amber was sick, I was determined to donate but the blood bank had enough in reserves for Amber to last her a while, so they asked that I wait a few weeks. Unfortunately, Amber didn't have weeks and she died before I had the chance to donate.

So when I organized Saturday's blood drive for my Team in Training group - I knew I was going to suck it up and donate. Our drive was in memory of Amber and I knew I had to honor her memory and suffer for just a second... after she suffered for weeks with Leukemia.

I stepped inside the LifeShare bus with a little apprehension, but overall - I was ready. But my heart was another story. In order to donate blood, your heart rate has to be below 100 beats per minute. My heart was racing with anticipation of the big stick, so at 108 beats - I was told to calm down and we would try again. The next time, my heart rate was even higher at 116 beats per minute. (Are you kidding me?? I get psyched for this and my heart rate is going to sideline me?? No... no, calm down Jennifer. Breathe deep....)

I laid down on the donor bed and closed my eyes. I took deep breaths and thought of Amber and how hard she fought for 28 days. I thought of people just like her who needed my blood to fight Leukemia and other diseases. My heart rate lowered to 105... still not the number in order to give, but it was getting there. I had ONE more chance to get it below 100 and if it wasn't right, they would politely thank me and ask me to come back another day. I was trying to not get mad about it... that would only raise my heart rate. More deep breaths, more calming thoughts. Last pulse check - 99 BEATS PER MINUTE! Just under the maximum number.

Now I was relieved, but extremely nervous. Iodine wash on my arm.... tourniquet squeezing the heck out of my arm... squeeze the ball every few seconds. The tech said, "OH! Look at that vein!" I'm hoping this means it's big enough for one quick stick and not multiple attempts, which is usually my history with these technicians.

Two seconds later, my blood was pumping. It hurt for a second and it ached a little while he got the needle situated in my arm because the blood flow kept stopping. But overall - my experience with giving blood was a positive one. I plan to donate regularly now.

Every day in our area, patients need 470 units of blood components... such as red blood cells, plasma, whole blood, etc. Statistics show that one out of every three people will need a blood transfusion during their lifetime. What if that was me or a family member? I feel a huge sense of pride in knowing that someone in this area will continue to heal because of my donation. I hope you consider becoming a donor, too!