Donating blood is simple and so worthwhile

I started donating blood when I was a university student, nearly 30 years ago! I just felt like it was a simple thing I could do to help someone else. The real impact of how I can help really hit home while we were living in Bangkok. The New Zealand Embassy there has a blood donation register for people with negative blood types, because Asians don't have Rh- blood. Therefore, anyone with a negative blood type is reliant on a pretty small group of people who can help them. One day, the Embassy phoned me to go into the hospital to donate blood whilst a baby was undergoing a life-threatening operation. That was the first time I actually knew what was happening with the blood I was donating! It made me so happy to know that I was able to help.

The second time was after the 2004 tsunami where the Red Cross was inundated with people offering to donate blood, but they really needed negative blood types because of the Europeans who'd been affected. Again, so good to know that I was able to do something that was helping in some small way.

If you're thinking about donating - give it a go! It is so worthwhile.