I crossed one more thing off of my list this summer. I’m excited for when September 8th rolls around and I can officially see how many things I accomplished in the last four months. Yesterday I put a big strike through #43 which was to donate blood. I had planned to do this shortly after my vacation out east, but I was suffering from breathing problems when I got home and did not end up donating. Since I had a day off yesterday, I rescheduled for a morning appointment.

I arrived late thanks to pretty much every road in downtown Calgary being under construction. They weresuper nice regardless at the 737 13 Ave location, the main office for Canadian Blood Services in Calgary. I went through the normal procedures and was taken into the donation room, where I saw the size of the needle and had to avert my eyes from the vein puncturing. I can take needles without blinking and normally watch, but this was a freakin’ huge needle!! Of course, no trip anywhere with me is complete without drama, so I half passed out after they removed the needle. Yeah, everything was fine until I was completely finished and they took the needle out. It got all bright and loopy, and then I was suddenly aware I was wet (cold damp cloths to help you come too) and people were staring at me. Completely embarrassing. Completely. Regardless it is off of my list, and I have another appointment booked in October. I think I can donate two more times before going to Mexico in December/January.

If you live in Canada and aren’t a donor yet, call 1.888.2.DONATE to make an appointment. It’ll take about an hour in total but you could add years to someone’s life.

picture courtesy of jasondunn.com