My experience at the blood bank

In the early 1990s, there was a neighbor who spoke often about going to the blood bank which really was the local blood plasma center. I did not have a real understanding about this organization so my opinion was based on what I heard. Listening to this neighbor I assumed that this was a place where the homeless, addicts, and alcoholics went to get money for their next drink or drug. I envisioned older males who smelled of alcohol and were dirty and stinking were the main people who frequented this establishment.

l honestly thought no respectable person would be caught in such a place. and snickered whenever this young man mentioned donating his plasma. My attitude shifted years later when I found myself in a tough financial situation. One day while my husband was at work and our children in school I was desperate to have some money on hand. I decided that I would have to lower my standards and go to the blood bank because I had absolutely no money and I had to feed my children when they got out of school.

Once upon a time my husband and I both worked good jobs with benefits and we each got paid every Friday. We had several bank accounts 2 vehicles, owned a home, and had good credit. Life happens and we were no longer living that way. I was tired of being broke so I decided I would donate my blood plasma to get some money. I was nervous and shaking like a leaf when l went to the location which was in the downtown area. I kept looking around to make sure no one I knew was watching me. I wondered how I had sunk so low in life as I filled out the application and took the physical.

I was anxious as I was escorted to a room downstairs that resembled a dank basement. it was pretty small and there were people, mostly men who were strapped to reclining seats. It was kind of dark and the seats looked pretty close together. As I looked for somewhere to sit a man with a wide grin on his face was beckoning me with his hand and pointing to the empty seat next to him. The employee who had walked down the steps with me was smiling also as if he were setting e up on a blind date.

I wondered what I was getting myself into and felt as though I was walking a walk of shame. I did not know the man who was strapped in and ready to go and he knew nothing about me. I perceived he assumed I was single and available and I became angry. For all, he knew I had HIV, herpes, or some other disease, and there he was looking as if he had scored the jackpot. I felt humiliated and knew I had made a mistake in coming to this place. I thought to myself, "How dare some stranger cause me to feel so uncomfortable" and I quickly went back up the steps and out the door.

I wondered this guy thought I was a drug addict and that we might pool our money and get high together. The experience left me shaken for quite a while and as I walked the 2 miles home I cried. Here I was with no car and no money and my kids would be out of school soon. I was so ashamed that I had ever thought about going to the blood bank and longed for the days when my spouse and I were bringing in $500 a week together which was in the 1980s. How I wished he could still bring home $1,000 a week he worked overtime.

How could I ever tell my husband what I had contemplated doing without embarrassing myself? I don’t remember what I did that day to get the money to feed my children but I felt dirty, worthless and so embarrassed for about a week. Since that time the local blood plasma center has moved to a larger facility that is lighter and brighter. I had to give someone a ride there and was surprised at the changes. The seats were now a respectable distance from each other and the clientele was much different than I had assumed.

Sure there were a few people who looked as if life had kicked them hard but there were also college students, married couples, and seniors who simply needed some extra money. This was not a haven for addicts and alcoholics although I am sure there are some who go there. Every day people who desired to gain a little extra money are who I saw in the waiting room. For those who do not know the blood and plasma are separated in the process. The blood is returned to your body and only the plasma is harvested. This process is utilized to help with all kinds of diseases and those who donate enable others to live and thrive.