"The Process of Giving Blood, 2019"

Today is 44 years since the Lord saved me*, and yes, I celebrated by GIVING BLOOD (Lol).  It actually is quite an experience (giving blood), at least for ME it always has been (until today...more later).  Giving my blood to help someone else reminds me of how JESUS gave HIS precious Blood, for ME, you see!!

I first started giving blood 20 years ago, when I lived up in North Jersey.  The little "beginning" church we met in rented a Red Cross building, and because the Red Cross gave us a big discount to use it on Sundays, the powers-that-be encouraged us to participate in their annual Blood Drive.  1999 was my FIRST time as a donor, at age 44, and I've donated just about every year since then.  So when I was called last week and offered a "March 13th" appointment this year, well, I jumped on it!! (And OF COURSE I want to help the recent disaster victims...that goes without saying!!)

The PROCESS of donating blood has CHANGED over the years, however.

For example, take a close look at my arm in the photo above...the arm with the red bandage still on it.  That's the first time I ever recall the Red Cross bandaging me up with what appears to be a.........RED CROSS, Lol!!  (You may have to enlarge the pic to see what I'm referring to.)

(That was one of the "so what" changes.  OTHERS are way more aggravating.)

Example: As part of a screening process when you enter to give blood, you now have to read a 12 page collection of waivers, warnings and personal, probing questions that make you wish you brought your LAWYER with you before you sign your name to it.  This has been going on for a FEW years but every NEW year the material you have to wade through gets longer and longer and longer.

Then, I finally "advanced" over to the lady who was actually going to take my blood.  I produced my Driver's License (which was renewed not even three months ago and which shows my age, BTW.) She looked at it and asked me "Do you still identify as a MALE, Mr. Jelinski?" Boy, did I get mad that my intelligence had to be insulted that way!!  I realize she HAS to ask that ("FDA regulations," I'm told), but it's never happened before and if our society wasn't  Kow-towing and bowing down to certain nutty elements in our midst, it wouldn't be happening NOW.  

Anyway, so OF COURSE she took my blood pressure next (Lol) and it was high....(not SO high that I couldn't donate, mind you, but a bit higher than it SHOULD be, and undoubtedly higher than it was when I entered the building.)  "Your blood pressure isn't normal," she informed me, and I then informed HER that neither was her QUESTION normal but nonetheless *I* am normal, Lol!! 

A normal MAN.  (And BTW, my blood pressure calmed down now that I'm home for lunch and venting about this experience, here on my blog.)

You see, one of the dumb questions I had to answer before I could give blood was "Have you, as a man, had sex with another man."  Yes, I know this is done to keep people with AIDS from spreading it (and BTW, wow, what a candid, correct admission by the Red Cross that Homosexual activity is a prime way AIDS is spread!!)  But suppose I did NOT "identify" as a man, and yet I DID have sex with another man and then donated my risk-laden blood??  See how EASY it is to beat the system, if someone wanted to give blood, lie and try to spread AIDS to straight people?? 

Yes, of course, all blood the Red Cross collects is subsequently tested for AIDS...so even though a malicious gay person might get away with donating AIDS-ridden blood, hopefully it will get intercepted, destroyed and never used.  

Hopefully.

But I'm starting to think 20 years of my donating blood is enough.  Let people who are NOT offended when asked if they identify as something other than what they are now be the donors. The process of donating blood today is, pardon the pun, too draining for me anymore.  There were only a FEW donors today, and I wouldn't be surprised if normal folks like me feel as I do (the guys I chatted with during cookies and juice time afterwards agreed). Most importantly, I believe that the Lord Who mercifully saved me through CHRIST'S Blood 44 years ago today understands where I'm coming from, 100%.  It's not worth the aggravation, humiliation or risk to donate blood anymore....at least not for ME.

And after all, there are many other ways Christ can be worshiped, other than my going through the process of giving blood!!

Bottom line: I now "identify" as an EX Blood Donor.

* To read how the Lord saved me, please check my blogs from LAST March, "Salvation, Parts 1 and 2," posted on March 13th and 16th, 2018.