The words of Sir Osbert Sitwell, one of the Sitwell siblings - Dame Edith and Sir Sacheverell Sitwell being the other two. All big creative thinkers and writers. Certainly this quote has travelled far in the name of blood doning. The American Red Cross Blood Drive have used it, as has the Blood Donor Society of Lahore, a local blood doning group near New York, it also heads up an article about How to Understand Your Blood Tests & Biochemistry. And then there's Hilary Shearing of Cravant les Coteaux, France.
I started blood doning in the UK somewhere around twenty three or twenty four years ago, meaning 1990 or 91. I can't remember what triggered my decision to do it. Anyway the point is I did. The very first session took some blood for analysis, to correctly identify my blood type. Until then I always thought I was the O group - at least that's what I was told. It turned out I was A Rhesus Positive. Nice to know - just in case there's an emergency and I need a drop of the stuff myself. Now, along with a clean pair of knickers and pyjamas which my mother instilled in me were essential to have on hand in case of emergencies ( I still do this!!), I can also supply my correct blood type and carry the card to prove it.
I completed my forty-seventh session in St. Margaret's Hall, Bradford on Avon and then we moved to France. Most of my doning sessions were done in St.Luke's Church Hall in Pinner, until 2008 when we moved to Wiltshire. Over the years I got to know the ceiling at St.Luke's very well. Lying prostrate waiting for someone to set you up, there wasn't much else to look at and every time I went, the system of queuing had been changed. Once on the Blood Doning register I was notified when the next session was locally. A morning and an afternoon session were available for us donors to choose from, with a lunch break in between when the hall was closed for an hour. Once inside sometimes you'd be given a number, some times a letter of the alphabet. Eventually everyone was seen. It was always a completely painless experience and very easy. The prospect of a jammy dodger biscuit and tea or coffee afterwards was of course the main inspiration. Giving blood saves lives! To hell with that, give me my jammy dodger biscuit! Fairly recently the rather old fashioned flat trolley beds were replaced by plastic chairs, similar in shape and design to the chairs in a dentist surgery. You sit upright to begin with while you're set up with the drip, then you're tilted back into a more comfortable position. It's all very straightforward, doesn't take long but there's enough time for the tempting thought of a j.d. to wander into your thoughts.
Yesterday I looked into blood doning in France. It's something I would like to continue to do, while we're here. The national organisation is called L'Etablissement Français du Sang - www.dondusang.net. The site is comprehensive and includes a blood level gauge, showing the state of supplies. At the moment everything is seemingly in good supply. However there are five possible categories ranging from Stable, Fragile, Very Fragile, Urgent and Very Urgent, should levels begin to fall. It was from here that I found the next doning session locally is in Chinon on 21st August.
I took a deep breathe and phoned the head office in Paris. First time I've had a conversation in French about blood doning, so wasn't 100% sure of the vocabulary and technical terminology. I explained who I was, that I'd been blood doning in the UK and that I'd like to do so while in France. The person wasn't sure if it was possible, the system was different, so passed me to someone else. They weren't sure, so passed me to someone else who wasn't sure, who passed me to someone, who at least told me that the individual I really needed to talk to wasn't there. 'Could she ask me something?' 'Of course, yes!'. 'Was I blood doning before 1996?' 'Yes I was.' 'Well in that case unfortunately, I couldn't give blood in France.' The problem was/is Mad Cow Disease. Anyone resident in the UK for twelve consecutive months between 1980 and 1996 are not permitted to give blood in France. It's a precautionary measure. We're talking here about a seventeen to thirty-three year period exclusion zone, depending on where you fall within it.
Volunteer blood doning is an essential part of our UK health service, so precautions against contamination are well understood, as per the list of questions you're asked every time you attend a doning session. For me the French response is a disappointing result. However what I might still do is go along to Chinon on doning day and talk to someone directly. Not knowing the science involved, I might still get a no, but if there's a glimmer, meaning a test on a sample, then I'm happy to take it.
By the way, anyone who's not tried blood doning, please give it some thought. The teams across the UK are experienced, a timed appointment system is now in place and our health service, emergency and support services are always in need of supplies.They'd be so happy to see you.
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