I’ve been donating blood for a few years, though the frequency dropped to zero for a few years. Being laid off from the Brown Homestead was a shocking surprise and wrecked me for a surprisingly long time. But wanting to make my time on this Earth a net positive, I got back into it. Last week’s donation was my tenth and not only did I get a nice card signed by all of the staff in that day, I got this swanky pin.
Interestingly, I saw two other donators hit milestones and they got to ring a gong, receive applause from the staff, and have photos taken of them. If you know me, you know that I do not like to be the centre of attention. So when my staff member said, “Isn’t this your tenth donation?” I replied, “Yes, but shhhhhh! I don’t want to do any of that.” Happily, she agreed to keep it quiet, and I got away scot-free.
If you haven’t given blood, or haven’t given lately, get your ass to the nearest Canadian Blood Services location. It’s a surprisingly nice experience and it feels good to help.