Someone Else’s Life Matters, Too

I donated blood today. I try to do that as often as I can. I do that not because I get something out of it. I do that because I want to give someone else a chance – a chance to survive and continue living, loving, and caring.

Today, I asked the technician if there are many people donating blood. She said there were plenty, sometimes, even more, they could handle. So, apparently voluntary blood donation in Germany is not a small thing. Germans care.

On the contrary, the same question posed during my blood donation in my home town in Bulgaria yields a very different answer – “You are the first voluntary blood donor today, Mister.”

See, things work slightly differently in Bulgaria. Usually, people donate blood in the name of a family member or a friend who is about to undergo surgery. To go in, mention a name, and minutes later the bags full of their blood are tagged, so their favorite will be given the green light to receive a transfusion during the procedure.

This practice naturally leaves room for malpractice given that there are people waiting outside of the local blood donation centers and literally sell their blood to those who couldn’t find or don’t have a friend or a family member to pitch in with half a liter of blood.

Demand and supply, you’d say. It is a choice, you’d say. It still helps, you’d say. And you will probably have a point there.

But her is the thing. And a very big thing. At least for me.

Sometimes in life, someone helps you just because. She, he or they don’t want anything in return. Often, you are not even aware of who gave you a hand when you needed one. Help comes and you are in the clear.

One way to repay this act of kindness is to offer the same to another human being or a living thing. Donating blood is just one thing that you can do. But a very powerful thing it is. Your donation could effectively be the reason that someone continues living.

No, no-one will say “Thank you!”, except for the technician at the donation center. It will be just you, walking the street and knowing that you did the right thing – you donated blood.

Go and save someone else’s life, donate blood!