“I feel like I am making a difference when I give blood”
Reflections
“Giving blood helps to bring healing to another. I like helping the community and being a Good Samaritan,” says Alexi Malmgren from The Parish of Hervey Bay
I started giving blood about two and half years ago. My first donation was for whole blood. Most people just donate plasma the first time. There are three kinds of donation: blood, plasma and platelets.
They sent me a card after my first blood donation. The card showed a little girl named Sienna who needed open heart surgery. The card reminds me of the story of Jesus raising the daughter of Jarius (Mark 5:22–41). It’s actually become one of my favourite miracles. Just the fact that he’s raising a little girl really resonates with me.
Giving blood helps to bring healing to another. I like helping the community and being a Good Samaritan.
I donate plasma every two weeks and full blood every 12 weeks. Then I take a break for a month before the cycle starts again.
I originally started doing it because I felt lonely and isolated. It was a way for me to connect. But now I give blood mostly because I know that it saves lives and that it’s a good way to give to my community.
The first nurse I’ve talked to reckons that a lot of first-time donors actually start donating so they can find ways to connect. She said she first started noticing this when she was working in another city during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She said that blood donation clinics were overflowing.
It’s important to give blood. My plasma can be used for 18 different life-saving ways, including for bone marrow transplants and treating liver disease, severe burns and tetanus.
Plasma is the yellowish liquid part of your blood that holds all the other blood cells.
When you give a blood donation, it contains some plasma. But, when you donate just plasma, you give about twice as much.
My blood type is O negative. That’s the universal red cell type because it can be used in transfusions for any blood type. My white cells are apparently not that valuable.
My blood is CMV (cytomegalovirus) negative. CMV is common flu-like virus. It’s very deadly to babies and can also be fatal for people with weak immune systems. It’s rare to have CMV-negative blood. The nurses kind of treat me like I’m quite famous in the medical world.
I’m almost regarded as mythical because my blood type is O and CMV negative and because I am male — blood used for transfusions to babies in neonatal units needs to come from men donors who are O negative and CMV negative.
It’s important to give blood because there is a high need in the community. Australia needs over 1.7 million donations every year to meet demand. That equates to three donations every minute. More people need to give blood. It’s needed for illnesses, car accidents, injuries, pregnant mums, surgery, and more.
I feel warm after I give blood. Maybe because of the saline injection. I also feel good emotionally. I love that I’m actually helping people, plus I’m proud that my blood type is so needed I love the mythical status of my blood at the medical community according.
Most donors at the centre I go to don’t really talk much to each other. I don’t. Apparently at large centres it’s a bit different. After I donate, I go to the snack bar and get a little pie and a few little nibblies.
The needles don’t hurt at the donor centre. In fact, the nurses pride themselves on how painlessly they can place a needle. They are very gentle.
Giving blood is a very straightforward process. There are a lot of strict safety rules. For example, one time I had to defer a week because my blood pressure was too low.
I feel like I am making a difference when I give blood. I also like the social interaction with the nurses. The nurses are lovely.
It’s a good day when I give blood — I feel fantastic.
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