Rolling up their sleeve to donate blood

After 18,747 days of having blood coursing through my veins, I became a donor. I finally manned up, rolled up my sleeve and gave blood. And I feel great. And I can't wait for the next 90 days to whiz by so I can do it again. There will be three people out there who will benefit from my donation — they could be you, your family members, or your friends. You never know when you're going to need it. But only one in five of us have actually ever donated blood. And trust me when I say this, there is nothing to it. Article continues below Reem Al Suwaidi, the patient and effervescent head of marketing and donor development, had her arms full in walking me through the painless process of becoming a blood donor at the Dubai Blood Centre at Latifa Hospital. And it took all of 20 minutes. After presenting myself at the reception area, I was asked to fill out a simple form with my age, identification details — and no, I don't have or didn't need an Emirates Identity Card — my driving licence sufficed. The form asked some basic health questions and took all of two minutes to fill in. "Follow the yellow line," I was told. The yellow line took me to a room where Bincy Mole Idukala checked my haemoglobin levels — the amount of red blood cells in my blood. This process involved the slightest of pricks on the tip of my index finger — and a droplet of blood was processed into a handheld meter. To be a blood donor, your haemoglobin levels have to be between 12 and 18 — mine came in at 17.1 (A little high, but I do have a penchant for red meat.) Then Siji George Joseph checked my pulse, temperature and blood pressure. "All normal," she said after a minute, giving me my form back with a print out of stickers, before sending my back to the reception along the yellow line. There Reem checked the paper work, and I was issued with a temporary blood donation number. Next time I go back, I'll be given a plastic card. "What's my blood group? I asked. Yes, I admit it, I have lived so far and don't know my blood group. I'll be told that in a couple of days or the next time I visit. "Now follow the green line," Reem told me. Around the corner I sat with another first-time donor, Dayal from Hyderbad in India. "What made you do it?" I asked as we sat together outside the blood donation room. "The Big Man," she said. "Who?" "[His Highness] Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum [Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai]," Dayal said proudly. "He came last week and he inspired me to give blood" said the resident of Dubai since 2007. Her husband, Vinod, a diabetic who can't donate, was by her side, encouraging her through the process. "I am a little nervous," Dayal confided, "But then I think of the good that my blood can do. I think everyone should give blood." Since rolling up his sleeve last week, Shaikh Mohammad has inspired more than 1,200 to give blood. Normally, 50-70 donors turn up daily. Since Shaikh Mohammad's leadership by example, donors are turning up daily in the hundreds. My moment of truth. Phlebotomist Sabreen Wahbeh lay me on a bed. A blood pressure cuff was placed on by right arm and I literally only felt the slightest prick as the blood collection needle entered my arm. I slowly and repeatedly squeezed on a soft red ball to ease the flow, and the only sensation I felt was a slight tingle from the blood pressure cuff — nothing from the actual collection of blood itself. After seven minutes, I was done, and I even got a free orange juice. Sabreen told me that the 450ml of blood taken would be replaced by my body within two days, and that the red blood cells would be replenished in a week. "Inshallah, you can give blood again in three months," she said. Inshallah, I will.