Having just completed my 25^th blood donation, I wanted to write a brief article about my experiences so far.  

Giving blood is one of the most self-less acts you can do, giving the chance of survival to those in critical condition, or furthering research into life-saving treatments. It’s something I will continue to do for as long as I am able and I hope you will consider doing so as well! 

This post will focus on my experience of giving blood with NHS Blood and Transplant in the UK. See www.blood.co.uk for more information. The process will obviously be different in other countries so do your own research. 

Mr Way

How I Got Into Donating 

I’ve been giving blood now since 2010. I first went with a group of friends from University. We had a free couple of hours and would otherwise have just sat in the pub – I’m very grateful for the suggestion looking back! 

We used to see who could complete their donation the fastest. I held the record, something I attribute to the fact I used to run 5x per week! 

Before that friend suggested we go together, blood donation was something I had never really thought about. I guess I just hadn’t come across it yet! I’m really glad we decided to go that day because I’ve never looked back and have since racked up 25 donations, hopefully helping many people in need of vital medical care.  

The only times I’ve been unable to donate are travel and iron related.  

Prior to donating there is always a check of your iron levels and I’ve had one occasion when my iron level dipped below the recommended level. I seem to have a naturally low iron level, often requiring additional checks to assess my levels before donation.  

The required limit for haemoglobin (made by iron) is 135g/litre and I often scrape by with a reading of 136g/litre! As I eat a lot of iron rich foods, the only explanation I can think of is a naturally low level, combined with an active lifestyle. Apparently those who exercise regularly are more likely to have depleted iron stores! 

What It Means to Me 

I now consider this quite an important task and try to donate as regularly as possible (current rules state every 12 weeks for men, 16 weeks for women).  

To put it simply, giving blood saves lives. 

You never know when you or a loved one could be in a critical condition and need to make use of blood products to stay alive. It can also be used to treat those with long-term illnesses or to aid research teams in their work. To me, supporting all of these causes is a no-brainer.  

If I was in this situation, I’d like to think that there would be enough blood available for the doctors to do whatever is needed. Unfortunately, that will only be the case if people continue to donate blood.  

According to their website, NHSBT need nearly 400 new donors a day to meet demand! That’s a huge number so any of you thinking about doing it, I would urge you to go along to your local centre! 

Why Should You Give Blood? 

Aside from the altruistic benefit of giving blood, there are many other reasons why it’s a great thing to be a part of. 

Every single time I’ve donated blood, the staff have been fantastic. They’re nice people and come across as being genuinely thankful for your donation. It’s a really nice atmosphere in the donor centre because everyone is there for a positive reason, and the staff really add to this. 

Another favourite part of the donation process for me is the biscuits! To make sure you’re properly re-fuelled after the process finishes, the staff will make sure you’re provided with a drink and some biscuits/crisps/etc. As simple as that is, I always look forward to my custard creams afterwards! 

An added bonus is that the NHS sends you a text shortly after each donation session, telling you where your donation was used. I think this is a brilliant addition to their service and makes you feel that bit more connected to the whole process.

Finally, NHSBT provide ‘awards’ at certain donation milestones. These include key fobs, badges, coloured donor cards and certificates. The milestones go all the way up to 1000 donations so you won’t be running out of targets any time soon!!  

For me, this is not really an incentive, but I do wear my latest badge with pride! Having just reached my 25^th donation, I will shortly receive a new silver donor card, a new badge and a certificate! 

Travel Implications 

Unfortunately, our trip to Africa this summer will mean it’s a significant amount of time before I can donate again.  

The current rules suggest I will need to wait 6 months from our return before I am allowed to donate blood. This is because of the number of illnesses we could potentially bring back!  

Obviously the safety of those receiving the donation is vitally important and these regulations are for the best in that regard. I’ll certainly be booking another appointment for as soon as possible after that! 

Organ Donor 

In addition to regularly donating blood, I am on the organ donor register.  

Having no interest in religion means I am free to do what I want with my body when I die. Why not put it to use and potentially save the lives of others?! After all, I certainly won’t be needing my organs once I’m brown bread. 

How This Relates to FIRE 

The link between blood donation and FIRE might not be immediately clear. But think about the main aims of the FIRE movement. It’s about living your best life and maximising happiness. With this one simple act, I can contribute to both of those goals. 

If you can’t tell yet, I’m incredibly proud to donate blood and it brings me a great deal of pleasure knowing I’m doing my bit. I don’t know WHO I’ve helped over my years of donating, but knowing my blood has been used for some positive purpose really feels worthwhile.  

The majority of interest in the FIRE movement is from young professionals looking to escape from the rat-race. This is the ideal target audience for blood donors so please consider doing your bit! 

Finally 

If you’re reading this and wondering why you don’t yet give blood, I really urge you to give it a go. If my friend at University hadn’t suggested it to me back in 2010 maybe I would never have started?!  

For that reason, I feel obliged to share my experience with you in the hope that you might consider donating too. Not everyone is able to, but there are so many people out there who could, if they were willing. 

Can you spare an hour every 3-4 months? That’s all it takes and you could potentially be saving the lives of others. What have you got to lose?! (other than a bit of blood, but you’ll soon replace that!!) There are donation centres all over the UK so check out where your closest one is.

While you’re at it, why not consider signing up to the organ donor register too at https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-your-decision/register-your-details/.