‘Does It Hurt?’ - Fears About Blood Donation

Do you have mixed feelings about donating blood? Senior Jojo Acuna, and the Journalism teacher, Mindi Kimbro, shared their experiences to shed light on the blood dive.

The most commonly asked question about donating blood is “does it hurt?”

Both Acuna and Kimbro state that the pain isn’t that bad.

“I would rate the overall pain a 4/10,” Acuna said.

Kimbro agreed, noting that the pain is nothing to worry about.

“The most painful part is when they first put the needle into your arm, but even then, it’s not really any worse than a regular shot or blood draw at the hospital,” Kimbro said.

When asked why they decided to give blood, Kimbro and Acuna share personal experiences on why. Acuna says that he was first nervous to donate but then realized that his blood can save someone’s life, and Kimbro agreed.

“In the past, I’ve had family members and friends in the community who have been put into situations where they needed blood transfusions,” Kimbro said. “My brother, for example, has a form of blood cancer that might one day require him to get blood as part of his treatments. If or when that happens, I just really hope someone where he lives has given the blood he will need. Here, I can be that donor for someone else’s friend or relative. Plus, there is rarely enough blood to meet the demand, so if I can do a little bit to help, I believe I should.”

Both Kimbro and Acuna encourage others to donate blood.

“I would encourage anyone eligible to donate blood. The whole process was way less painful than I had first imagined and you could literally be the life saving help somebody needs,” Acuna said.

“I would absolutely encourage anyone who is healthy and able to donate blood as often as possible. There are so many people in the world who are in a situation where they need blood, whether it’s due to an illness, an accident, surgery, or other reason. Blood donations have saved the lives of men, women, and children here in our town. It costs nothing to give blood, and it’s something that can help in so many ways,” Kimbro said.

If you are not able to donate, someone else can donate in your name. Just tell the workers “I’m giving for ‘person’s name’ at Olney High School.” You can tell them at any donation center.