Have you ever felt that you could change the world? Do you think it is easy to do that – Well the answer to this shall be a huge yes!
If you are asking us how? The answer lies in the simple and yet life-saving act of donating blood.
This very simple and easy to do act can help save so many lives and change the world for someone in need. Someone who has never ever seen you, a person whose caste, creed and religion are not known but yet we seek to help them, this is empathy at its purest form.
Empathy is a very strong feeling that a lot of us have, we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and feel that we need to aid them in their current position. But a very large population of us Indians, are afraid to donate blood.
This is true because of some stigmas and taboos/myths associated with this noble act. Let us explore some of them a little further –
Women cannot donate blood
This rather dangerous statement is a farce. The process of donation of blood does not depend on whether the person donating is a man or a woman. Anyone can donate blood, there is no such rule that prevents or stops women from donating blood; as long as they are above 18 years of age and have a weight that is over 50 kg.
Blood Donation hurts
This statement too bears no truth. The procedure is as painless as facing a prick from a needle or the bite of an ant. The entire procedure is painless and has no other side effects. The only thing that is stopping you from donating blood is your fear. It is time that you beat your fear and start donating.
Blood donors face health issues after donation
Blood donors are stopped from going ahead since there is a stigma that blood donation leaves one vulnerable to attack from diseases. The donation of blood does not cause a drastic reduction in the WBC’s as soon as the donation is done, moreover, the body maintains the balance of WBC by producing these RBC and WBC in the due course of a few days to make up for the reduction.
Diseases such as HIV shall spread with needles
All the needles that are used for the procedure are such that they are made sterile. So, there are no risks of the donor being infected with HIV with this donation process.
Blood Donation after getting a tattoo
Blood donation cannot be done just after getting a tattoo but they can be done after a period of over a year.
Also Read: Why people with Tattoos can’t donate blood?
The LGBT community cannot donate blood in India
Yes, sadly this is currently the case with the LGBT community not eligible to do blood donations
Overall, the habit of blood donation in India is still dictated by a lot of such myths and taboos, although anyone who is healthy, irrespective of their caste, color, race, tradition, moral values, ethnicity can donate blood. If they are above 18 years of age, with over 50 kgs and above in weight, have not had any alcohol consumption in the last 24 hours, cigarette consumption in the last 4-6 hours. It is recommended that the donor shall have something to eat 30 minutes prior to the donation and also does consume some water/ juice or bananas after the donation is complete and refrain from driving and exercising intensely right after donation. It is also recommended to keep the duration between the donations as at least 3 to 4 months.
Donate Blood, make a difference.