History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity -Cicero
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Accessible history
The Small Things, V
In keeping with the theme of previous posts, I bring you yet another nature-inspired post! Nothing really profound to share about this one.
His name is Ruediger, he's about 72 grams, was found in a dung pile :-( and makes his home in a German zoo.
Cue the coo-ing...
His name is Ruediger, he's about 72 grams, was found in a dung pile :-( and makes his home in a German zoo.
Cue the coo-ing...
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
On the moral imperative to donate blood
About 2 months ago, I made the decision to visit the blood donor clinic with my sister, who has been donating blood for a number of years.
I had tried in vain a year ago, to donate blood- but my iron levels were not high enough to do so. I was quite disappointed. However, I was determined to avoid a similar fate the next time around. I hit the red meat, spinach & OJ hard for a few days in a row, and it paid off! My iron levels were really high/at a safe level to donate. Needless to say, I felt quite accomplished upon learning I would be eligible to donate blood for the very first time...in my life.
I thought I'd dedicate a post on my blog to the importance of blood donation as I feel quite strongly about the need for us to do so on a regular basis (if we can).
Speaking as someone who considers themselves to be religious/spiritual, who practices a form of meditation daily, I can say that donating blood felt like a deeply spiritual activity. Nothing has quite made me feel as alive. And this is probably an understatement.
I had tried in vain a year ago, to donate blood- but my iron levels were not high enough to do so. I was quite disappointed. However, I was determined to avoid a similar fate the next time around. I hit the red meat, spinach & OJ hard for a few days in a row, and it paid off! My iron levels were really high/at a safe level to donate. Needless to say, I felt quite accomplished upon learning I would be eligible to donate blood for the very first time...in my life.
I thought I'd dedicate a post on my blog to the importance of blood donation as I feel quite strongly about the need for us to do so on a regular basis (if we can).
Speaking as someone who considers themselves to be religious/spiritual, who practices a form of meditation daily, I can say that donating blood felt like a deeply spiritual activity. Nothing has quite made me feel as alive. And this is probably an understatement.
According to Canadian Blood Services,
Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood.
According to a recent poll, 52 per cent of Canadians say they, or a
family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for
medical treatment.
According to the American Red Cross,
One donation can save up to three lives.
If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until
you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially
helping save more than 1,000 lives!
Silly for us all to have the expectation that should we be unfortunate enough to find ourselves in a situation where we require blood, that it will just be available, no questions asked. Shockingly, this is not enough to propel more of us to contribute something that our body can easily replace. bloody hell.
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