I Gave Blood For The First Time. Here’s Why You Should Too

I hate needles. Seriously. I'm the biggest baby you'll ever see, when it comes to having a sharp piece of steel shoved into my vein. Whether it's to take something out or put something in, I can think of a million other things I'd rather do than have a needle put in my arm. So when my fiancé suggested that we donate blood, I obviously had reservations. She had done it before, and she doesn't seem to be bothered much by the whole thing. And although I had never done it, what's important to her is important to me...so I agreed to take the plunge.

There just so happened to be a blood drive happening at One City Center on Friday, which is the building in which our studios are located. I made us appointments, and Kathleen and I took the plunge, and gave our blood to the American Red Cross.

They asked a ton of questions, to make sure our blood was safe. They tested my iron levels (which were fine), then they had me lay down, and put the needle in my arm. Honestly, it's not that bad. It's the anticipation that really gets me.

I was really curious about the chances that they would actually use my blood. From what I've heard, it has a very short shelf life. So I asked. And the answer was not what I expected. "100%. Oh yeah, your blood will be used." I can even use an app to track exactly where my blood ends up. How cool is that?

To think that my blood will help someone who really needs it, and maybe even save their life, made it totally worth sucking it up, and getting over my fear. I feel pretty good about donating blood, and I plan to do it again. If you never have, you should consider doing it! You can get more information, and find out about a blood drive happening near you soon right here.