As the theme of this month is life we thought it would interesting to hear from someone who has helped others in illness through donating Blood.
When did you first donate blood and how long did you donate blood for?
I first donated blood in the 1970's and finished 2001.
Why did you decide to be a blood donor?
I trained as a nurse and I experienced the importance of blood donors as they helped to save lives.
What was your experience of donating blood?
The experience was always positive, right from the welcome and signing. The nurse then took you to a bed and explained the procedure, all you had to was just relax and think of the tea and biscuits to follow! I had good veins which made it easy but appreciate not everyone is as lucky and some do bruise.
How often can you donate blood?
When I was a donor it was approximately half an hour every 3-4 months. By the time I stopped in 2001 I had given 56 donations!
Would you recommend being a blood donor to others?
Definitely. Its an easy but vital way of helping people recover from serious illness or even save their life.
Thank you so much to Brenda who volunteered to help us with this blog post.
To find out more information about being a blood donor head to the NHS website for blood donation here: https://www.blood.co.uk/