Five Routine Minutes: Hi. I’m Oma. I’m O Positive.
Posted: June 27, 2012 Filed under: Five Minutes | Tags: American Red Cross, Blood donation, Bone Graft, drawing, humor, life, line drawing, postaweek 27 Comments »I got a phone call from The Red Cross requesting that I come in to give blood.
The caller said there was a critical shortage of my type of blood and they’d appreciate it if I’d drop by and leave a pint. I said that I would do that. I help them out when I can because they make me feel so good about what they want me to do. Also, they give me a water bottle.
Mostly, it is that they make me feel good.
There are a series of tests that I have to complete when I give blood. I passed them all.
But then came the lightning round of questions:
“Have you had babesiosis?” No.
“Have you had sex for money?” No.
“Have you had a tattoo?” No.
“Have you had a bone graft?”
Uh-oh, bone graft. I had one back in December. I told them I had a bone graft in my neck. That led to a series of odd questions:
“Was it your own bone that was grafted?”
“So it was donated bone. Do you know whose bone it was?”
“Was it a real bone?”
My questioner left the room. She was gracious when she returned to tell me they couldn’t take any blood donations from me for a year because I don’t know where part of me came from.
I understand the reason. It just makes sense…though I’m not sure how I will ever know who my donated bone came from. So, I’m going to ask you to do a couple of things for me…
…and please make a blood donation when you can. It’s a nice thing to do and the need is great.
I checked. Sorry. I still seem to have all of my bones. Unless it was a baby tooth? I did lose some of those.
They don’t want my blood, either. Like, not ever. It kind of hurts my feelings.
Wow, you’re banned? I just got suspended! You rebel.
I was wondering where that bone went! I’d figured I’d accidentally put it out with the recycling.
Maybe you should consider adding this Q&A to your About page. Interesting facts. . . .
I’m not really a robot.
Or at least I don’t intend to be.
WordPress is keeping the hippie down.
Identity crisis: what a trip.
Domo arrigato.
“I don’t know. I was sleeping pretty hard.” Funny stuff, Oma.
Though that bone looks familiar, it does not belong to me. Thanks for checking.
I give blood. The arm/vein they use is greatly loved by those that tap into it. I’m kind of proud of it. While donating, I privately compete with those around me, watching to see if I finish first. Then I heard someone say, “I’m glad I’m a slow bleeder. If I am in an accident, I won’t have to worry about blood loss.” *sigh* Party pooper.
I am your opposite. They actually bring out an oil drilling rig to find my veins. Once they find my vein it takes me a while to fill the bag. They even stopped me once and said enough. The bag was half full.
I like that you see the bag half full !
Last time I gave, I gave platelets too. I think I was there for 17 hours. I took 4 bags of cookies, 3 water bottles and 6 granola bars.
Platelets take me forever too. And I get so cold!
I have heard your corpuscles are exemplary, but how are your capillaries?
My capillaries are packed full of corpuscular goodness. I’m fully oxygenated. You?
in Sicily they give each blood doner a free pizza……..One guy gave so much blood he ate pizza for 6 consecutive weeks and died from blood loss. I think the pizza killed him. He became a bone doner after he died. His bones all looked like little dog biscuits…….
I feel a bit Sicilian. I have a thicker chewy crust.
The bone in question is not mine so I ask the boy (that’s what I call my dog ) and he dug up his collection: All present and accounted for.
As far as giving blood I too cannot give, ever, though I do donate to the Red Cross Relief Fund. Good people all around thinks I.
Agreed. They were all over when I went to the gulf coast after Katrina.
Oma, I just can’t do it. I wish I could show up at a blood bank and say, “Oma sent me. I’m O negative. Stick me.” But I hate needles. Like break-out-in-a-sweat-and-faint-kinda hate. It’s bad.
The free cookies tempt me though.
Ok. I will go an extra time next year and say you sent me. I’ll send cookies. You have kiefer bandage your arm.
Dang grafted bone. It’s always something…
Loved your drawings! I was a medical illustrator and am O positive too! Wow. We have so much in common. Hahaha!
Came from Blogdramedy’s place…
Well thanks for coming. Hope BD is going to start writing again soon.
Many people tell me that my drawings have an emotional depth that they can’t explain. Later, I find that those people are on meth.
Hahaha! A fan is a fan….
Right! And people on meth can still appreciate fine art.
And it becomes kinetic!
I’m with Thoughtsy. Just can’t do it. But I’m not break-out-in sweat-and faint. I cry. Like a baby.
So cookies don’t make you want to go through all of that?
I tried to give blood when I was a student, but was refused because my weight was too low. Now I’m Officially Old™ and Officially Fat™, I still can’t give blood because I’ve had major operations, which involved blood transfusions. I don’t have a fear of needles. I would’ve loved to have watched the nurse put it in, then watch the blood shuttle down the tube and into the bag. I have good veins, dammit – it’s not fair!
Oh man, the needles. I can’t watch that. I can look after it is over