Donating Blood and Fatherhood

Last Friday I made my regularly scheduled trek that I take each 8 weeks to donate blood. This time, I talked to Kay and took Gavin with me. (I so wish I had done this with my three, now adult, children.) I wanted him to understand what I did and then help him to understand a bit why I do it.

Donating blood is something I learned from my father. For all his shortcomings due to his addictions, I saw him more than once give blood. I remember him telling me “Someone needs this blood and I can give it to them.” It made an impression upon me to the point that I still recall it. I tried to think of how much I have given in the nearly 40 years I have been donating blood. While I have not always been at the 8-week mark, I have been regular in my donating and I assume I am in the 15 – 20 gallon range of donating blood totally all three states where I have lived.

Since they were not terribly busy, the ladies at the donor center allowed Gavin to go back and watch the process for which I was grateful. He has had blood drawn on numerous occasions due to his growth hormone issues, but never in this volume and he was amazed, especially at the size of the needle, which I no longer notice.

As we left he and I had some dialogue about it. I mentioned to him that when Kay was in her cancer treatments four years ago she had blood transfusion on at least two occasions and received a total of four units I think. I told Gavin, I have always given to help others, but now whenever I give, I am giving in gratitude for the individuals who gave blood that was given to my wife. He said, “Grandma had someone else’s blood put in her?!” I told him that is exactly how it works and explained a bit of the science behind it (well as much as I understand!)

Here is my point, being a father is about teaching on so many levels. I firmly believe in the verbal, intellectual and spiritual side of it, but I also believe my role as the father in Gavin’s life is to teach him about his responsibility to other human beings and their care. Giving blood is just one small way I can model just that, the way my Dad (unknowingly) did for me.