ON THE MARK

I’m sure all of us want to be known as a good person. We contribute to society, we take care of our loved ones, and we try to do what’s right on a daily basis. Of course, we can’t be shining beacons of goodness all the time. We’re only human, and besides, a little selfishness is okay here and there.

But when it comes to doing right by our fellow man, if given the opportunity, most of us will go out and try to make a difference. We don’t have deep pockets like Bill Gates, or have the resources to go out and build schools overseas. But we can give a warm meal to someone, a reassuring pat on the back, or more recently, a few drops of blood for those who need it.

On Jan. 15, Siena Heights had a blood drive in the old dining hall. When I first heard about it from one of the staff in the Student Center, I didn’t know what to think. Out of all of my family, only my mother showed an almost religious dedication to giving blood every year or so.

My brother and sister made it a point to donate blood every so often, but I suppose since they were athletes they couldn’t do it all the time whenever a session came up. I figured that if my mother was here, she would shoot me a few hints and eventually lure me into giving blood.

This time I was alone; I was an adult who could make his own decisions. So, I thought I’d go for it.

When the day arrvied, I had quite a bit of time to think about why exactly I was doing this. A doctor told me that giving blood was healthy for the human body, like taking aspirin, but I hadn’t known that until after the needle was inserted. I wasn’t giving my blood for selfless reasons but for the distraction. I had nothing else to do once classes were over for the week, so why not give blood?

When I was giving blood, I attempted to reevaluate my reasonings, and I realized that I was really doing this for someone else. I don’t know who would get the pint of blood with my name on it, but I figured they could use it.

If I ever did something tremendously stupid and lost a few pints of blood, be it from flipping over a quad or a freak onion-slicing accident, I’d be very grateful to know that there’s enough supplies for a clean blood transfusion.

Maybe my blood will go to someone like me. Maybe it’ll go to a soldier who lost a few drops fighting. Maybe it’ll be sent to some scientists for them to research and help them discover something new. Wherever it goes, it’s doing good to the world.

Admittedly, I don’t like those needles, and I especially don’t like the heavy smell of antiseptic and other chemicals in the room. It can be uncomfortable giving blood, but don’t let me discourage you. When I went in, there was uplifting music, friendly doctors and, best of all, free snacks and orange juice. Some of the doctors loved to talk with their patients, and I discovered that a couple of them liked to go racing at a track a few miles away from my hometown. They were very sympathetic and cared for their patients.

Did I mention free snacks and orange juice?

So, go out and give blood so that someone else may live. And if you still feel squeamish about a needle in your vein, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to give blood to make a difference in someone’s life.