| by comrade commissar | Thomas | @ Tuesday, July 27, 2004, 3:22:00 PM | permalink |
"So.. Thomas is it? I see. I have to ask some personal questions with regards to the questionaire you've filled out." "opps. Err.. Sorry. Didn't notice that."Today marks my third blood donation, which happened earlier in school. I went together with my class brothers Mr. Foo "Andy Lau" Zhong Ren & Mr. Lai "Bear-Fly" Benny. As the 2 guys' registration proceedings went very smoothly, they soon were ready for donating. Me? Well- 1. Forgot to bring any personal identification ("Err boy, IC? Bus pass? .. Passport? .. -alamak-") 2. Had to get Mr R. , my form teacher to verify that "Yes, this person is Thomas Tan, and he is a student of Millenia Institute." (Maybe sometimes he wished for his own health & sanity's sake that I never was >:] ) 3. After checking through their databanks .. "It says here in the records that you are abit too early. The normal waiting period between donations is about 3 months." "Umm... Opps?" 4. Go through a 5. The blood test. They used a nail-clipper-like tool to pierce my finger to take out a small sample to check my iron level. I really hate this part. The *click* sound is always accompanied by a sharp pain. Freaking Pavlovian associations. Ok. After all the obstacles I faced, the actual bloodletting itself was surprisingly smooth. It never fails to be such a surreal & eye opening experience though. There are alot of fears that we all have in our lives. For me, I feel that sometimes my natural fear of pain, while useful, borders on a 'overwhelming phobia'. Maybe its a macho ego thing, but everytime I go, I make sure I watch the anaesthetic needle go in. No, I'm not being sadistic, I don't enjoy the pain at all. But I still feel that to stay with it & not avoid it, will help me understand myself. I didn't look at the trocar go in though. Why wasn't I see I afraid to see it go in the first time? If I don't even feel it, why does the sight of the needle tube scare the shit out of me? Then it begins. At this moment, reality seems to have been slightly bent. Think about it. Human blood is liquid tissue; its major function is to transport oxygen necessary to life throughout the body. It also supplies the tissues with nutrients, removes waste products, and contains various components of the immune system defending the body against infection. (source: wikipedia) In other words, as I recline & relax, a part of my physical existence is being drained. In a somewhat gothic way, its pretty (?!) how the blood swirls around in the tube before ending up in the vacuum packet at the end. Dude, that's my life going in that packet, & for a split moment, I wondered - Do I feel or am I less alive? And in afew months, you, or- parts of you, will become part of other people's lives. The rest of the procedure was like clockwork. Sit back, relax. Earphones' on, music's good. At one point I almost forgot that there was still a tube attached to my arm. And then- "OK man.. Your done." Its over. Afterwards, when I met up with the others over provided Milo & biscuits, damn.. I realised I was really lucky. The nurse that was in charge in my area was a seasoned pro. I had only 1 tiny puncture wound. The other 2 guys encountered problems. Zhong Ren, a first-timer, had to be pierced 2-3 times because of blotched-up attempts by the medic-in-charge. His arm was quite badly bruised in the puncture region. Benny also had the same problem. Man! If I experienced such boo-boos on my first session, I would be traumatised for life! Zhong Ren is seriously like a movie star superhero. "Its OK lah." No fear! And then, we left for class. After lessons ended, I went back to watch the juniors as they sign up to donate. Struck up a conversation with some of them. This one was the most unforgettable: Forget the name: Eh? You donated already? [ I show her the patch over my puncture point ] Forget the name: OH. ... ... Eh, donate again lah! *grins* Me: !!! Eh hello! You think I'm what- a petrol station ah? "Uncle, $10 worth of petrol please issit?!?" Sheesh. It was quite funny though. At the end of the day, I thought over why did I what I did today. With what intentions? Altruism? Egotism? A celebration of life? I guess all of those. But I will definitely continue to participate in future blood drives. Why? Because if I did not, there may not be others to take my place. Because this is a gift that is precious, & cannot be purchased or substituted. Because I gave it without thought of rewards, (not cos' I might "stand a chance to win a condo/car/$$$!") As an unworthy personal tribute to the One who made the greatest sacrifice of all. Hope to see your arm outstretched & ready next time. |
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