Blood for Baby Benjamin

March 9, 2009... I am on my 2-10 pm duty at the ospital ng cabuyao operating room when i heard the story of baby benjamin. Baby benjamin is a newborn in the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital who is in need of blood donation. Baby benjamin is confined inside an incubator because of his health status. His mother is only 18 years old, and no one in the family in that moment can give the blood needed by baby B. The staffs inside the operating room at that time tackles on who will give blood to baby B. Baby B needs type O blood, which fortunately is the same as my blood type. So i have volunteered myself as a donor.

For an added information, I myself is a Red Cross donor. I support the Philippine National Red Cross Blood Donation Campaign. For me donating blood is an honor and it is a great help for other people who really needs blood. As a Red Cross donor i believe that i have helped others to continue their lives. Giving blood is like giving a part of your life to others who needs it much. I am a type O, and one of my goal is to be a Red Cross Galloner (and more! yebba!). One can be a Red Cross Galloner by donating a gallon of blood (Ooops but it doesn't mean that you are going to give that kind of blood at one time it takes a couple of sessions, months or years for others.) or just completing their Red Cross donation card with signs that you have reached the rank of a galloner because of couple of donations.

So 30cc of blood is taken from me directly, using a 50cc syringe. Yeah, a big syringe. Using a syringe for me in the extraction of blood is new for me, because during my previous Red Cross donationa they have this so called blood extraction device ( that's what call it ) where they have this intravenous kit that they use in extracting blood from my veins. But the use of the said syringe doesn't stopped me from donationg for baby B. Because baby B realy needs the blood. The nurse first inserted the syringe at my left arm vein but unluckily no blood is extracted from it. She said that maybe she have hitted the wrong vein. So again another insertion have been done on my right arm vein, luckily she have hitted the right vein, and without a ease she have extracted the needed blood for baby B.

I felt good after the extraction, i have experienced true happiness by donating a part of my blood to a baby who needed it much. After the donation i visited baby B at the neonatal intensive care unit, i look at him and watched him closely. As i am watching i smiled at him and whispered "you will be okay, you will soon be fine and you will grow up as a healthy baby boy". And to my suprise baby B smiled at me, at that time my heart skipped a beat and i have felt happiness. I am very proud to say that an angel smiled at me, its baby B's way of saying thank you and i am very much welcome.

So as you are reading this i am persuading you to donate blood and support the Philippine National Red Cross. Donating blood is an act of kindness, as we donated blood we save lives, lives of others who needed it the most.

To access the Philippine National Red Cross website just follow the link:
http://www.redcross.org.ph/

If you think you don't have the qualities and resources that can help others in saving their lives. Think again. Just a small amount of your blood can make a difference. A small amount can save lives. Be a Red Cross Donor, be a life saver.