Red Liquid Me Never Looked So Good

                Success has a name people, and that name is Shelby.

                Determination has a name people, and that name is Shelby.

                Persistence has a name people, and that name is Shelby.

                For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Shelby. Every Monday, I blog about whatever treacherous things have happened to me. Though today started off on the wrong foot, and continually got worse, I wasn’t about to let my Monday blues get the best of me. I pushed through the day, working my butt off to make sure my day didn’t end up as horrible as my usual Mondays.

Once again, I attempted to donate blood (on a Monday). If you are unfamiliar with my Monday donations, here’s the gist: the last two times I’ve tried to donate blood, it hasn’t worked. The first time, I was dehydrated which caused my veins to be too small to draw from. The second time, my iron level was point two too low. (Both of these incidents occurred on Mondays, just so you know). Today however, I was determined that I would donate- and donate I did.

I drank water like nobody’s business. There was no way in hell I was going to let them bruise up my arm like the first time they did all because I didn’t drink enough water. Hell-to-the-no. I then made sure to eat a ton of iron rich foods before I went; granola and yogurt for breakfast, assorted nuts throughout the day, and finally a nice granola bar. If you plan on donating, these are great steps to take in order to be successful.

As I’m sitting here writing this post, I am feeling quite dizzy and a little faint. I mean come on, they took a full pint of blood out of me. I will never forget the moment the male nurse held up that thick bag of deep red liquid me. I wondered to myself if that was the feeling new mothers get when they first lay eyes on their newborn child- I honestly could have cried with relief. But of course I didn’t cry, because that would be weak and spineless, and what teenager likes to feel that way?

Donating blood is an amazing experience. Even though it didn’t work the first two times for me, I persisted until I finally got the chance to donate. All the nerves and trembling fingers are put aside as soon as you see what you have just done. The needle stick is nothing compared to the feeling of success and joy of being able to save three lives with your donation. Donating blood is by far the most phenomenal thing I have ever been proud to rub in peoples’ faces. I hope all of you who read this consider donating- trust me you won’t regret it. Oh, and when they offer you the option of cookies or Chex mix, pick the Chex mix. The cookies are hard and gross.

 

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