Donate Blood, Save Life…

“A man was doing his daily morning jog, enjoying the cool waves which at intervals washed his feet. Suddenly, he saw a young man throwing small fishes in the ocean. Initially, he took him for some mad person and thought of avoiding him. But soon his curiosity overcame him and he asked the young man why he was throwing the fishes back in the ocean.

The young man answered, “These fishes were just left on the shore by tide.”

The man laughed and retorted mockingly, “What in the world are you achieving by it?”

The young man calmly replied, “With each throw, I am creating a difference between Life and Death”

Such is the power that lies in our hand, the power to choose for someone Life and Death and one of such acts that bestow us this power is Blood Donation.

• Every year in India, we require 4 crore units of blood.
• Only a meager portion of 40 lakhs are donated to meet the requirement.
• That implies every year there is a shortage of nearly 3 crore 60 lakhs units.
• And on an average, 1 unit can save 3 lives.
• Working out the math, nearly 10 crores 80 lakhs persons who could have lived were pushed closer to death.

IMAGINE the staggering difference. 10 crores. 1,00,00,000. (1 with 8 zeroes) Phew…

….

At this point, we must realize not only the nobility of Blood donation but also the dire need of it.

A number of reasons can be put up for not donating blood but the most prominent ones are:

1.    I don’t know if I can give or not: You don’t have to worry about your eligibility. You are medically checked before if you can donate or not.
2.    Weakness: It’s a complete myth and you can ask any of the donors whether they felt any weakness or less energy. The answer shall be unanimously negative. Also, you will hardly feel any loss of blood. The loss of blood is replenished within a week.
3.    Fear of needle: To tell you truth, an approaching needle scares the hell out of me too. But everytime, I try to imagine someone very close to me on deathbed in urgent need of blood and the very image kicks back the fear.
4.    I don’t feel like it: I think when it’s a matter of Life and Death, we must put aside our passiveness. Don’t just live with an attitude that there are enough people to look after the world. Refer the above Data.
5.    Lack of time: It hardly takes 10 mins for the whole process and you continue your work immediately.

Many of us are probably unaware of the fact that Blood donation is not only highly beneficial to others but to us also:

1. New RBC’s are formed: Impure blood is removed and new blood cells are formed which are more robust and strong in nature.
   
2. Reduces cholesterol.
3. Reduces iron overload: Donating blood reduces extra iron from time to time. As a result of it, it was found in Kansas University Medical Center that people who donate experience 30% less heart disease and stroke. Plus, it fights off hemochromatosis.
4. Free blood test: Can’t ignore this fact… :). We get to know about many such diseases beforehand whose symptoms are not clinically visible until they have potentially harmed our internal system such as cancers, hepatitis and AIDS. 

Come on, guys, we all shout at the atrocities and barbarity, vehemently opposed to them. We condemn all the inhuman killings on this planet but think again, if we don’t save lives we can at no effort, aren’t we in a way equalizing those acts ourselves??? Think… Think…

For donating blood:

• There are many blood donors society. Google in your area and donate.
• Register yourself a blood donor so that in case of emergency, the grieved can call you for your help.
• Ask your college or office to organize a blood donation camp periodically.
• Many government and private hospitals are 24/7 open for this noble cause and some even pay for it.

Note:- Check if the society or the hospital is bonafide and takes proper care of the donors by taking sufficient precautionary measure and working under the norms of MCI(Medical Council of India). See to it that the syringes are unused. Your own saftey is also important.

Why Prayaas???

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Since I was small, I have been hearing and reading a lot of bad, unfair stuff happening around the world such as recent gunning of innocent people in Norway. Sometimes, I let it enter it though one ear and bid it goodbye from another ear. Sometimes, I ponder over the Ultimate question “Why??” and eventually… let it go.  Sometimes, my soul refuses to accept the unjust and I pound the table with my fist “Something has to be done!!!” BUT…  Again confronted by the question, “What can I do??” or send a false justification to myself “I will do it when I grow up…” All the while, my heart shrinking and the real me disappointed in me.

Now that I have entered a college, an opportunity is being provided to me in the name of a NGO, “Prayaas”. Prayaas, as the word implies, is an effort by our student fraternity to bring some sunshine into the life of under-privileged kids whose Life is overcast by dark clouds of scarce resources, lack of opportunities, insufficient knowledge …

As a volunteer, I teach some kids elementary knowledge and It’s a wonderful feel.  I bet you would be astounded by the eagerness of the children to learn. They tug your shirt and ask you to check their copies, and not allow you to go unless you have given some homework. These children have also given some wonderful stage performances. Apart from everything, it’s a lot of fun doing this. They will come up and do craziest things (I will mention in my later blogs). You get to experience what’s it like to be on the other side of the bench. You delve into the psychology of children. How they should be taught, how to keep the class in control?? It’s the CHANCE for the “change” we have often-talked-about-but-rarely-acted.

‘I don’t have time.’ Or ‘I don’t have energy.’ Yep, contributing 1 hour from 168 hours (a week) is really impossible for us. One word: RIDICULOUS and if our youth lacks energy, I am sorry for the future of our nation.

Also, many of us think what’s the point in teaching these kids ABCDs or addition-vagerha blah, blah?? Its not like they are going to become world leaders or get a job in a MNC. BUT believe it or not, its going to bring a change, even maybe substantial, maybe even to a small percentage of class. But yes, its going to be a change. We would, actually, be inching towards our dream of seeing India educated. Plus, you never know, after all, Mr. Kalam, the Missile Man of India, came from an underprivileged background… Rethink.

Moreover, even if we are convinced that no impact can be made through this gesture. The question arises of ‘our initiative’. Are we really willing to reach out to people need in our assistance? Are we going to allow, for once, the human barricaded inside us to come out and help another fellow human beings, especially children? Are we willing to give them a chance which they have always been denied? Our act or no-act will, certainly, decide and shape the Life of children.

Prayaas is not perfect, not something straight out of a movie. There are kids who pay no attention and try to disturb the class. There are children who throw paper planes, picks-up fights, rubs the board and don’t obey any single word. But amidst all this chaos, I am looking for HOPE and its what that is fuelling me right now… A HOPE, A CHANCE…

(P.S: Watch out this space as I will be communicating my moments, fun at Prayaas…)

Vote for me now!