Smile...

I love it when I get a smile from Pelly when I arrive home!

I'm smiling too....because I'm on holiday, hurrah! 

I was in Padiham today. It was a busy day, but the people there were lovely. I do like hearing the stories behind why some people donate and there were two that stood out today....

I was putting a needle in a lady and she said that her mother had been rushed into hospital last week with a massive bleed. She had to have a few units of blood and although she knew why she donated blood it had never been so real than when she saw her mother lying in a hospital bed....alive because of the blood she'd received. 

I commented on a t-shirt that another donor was wearing...she turned round to show me the back and it had the name Haley on it. It was one of a few tops she always wears when she donates. Haley was her niece, she was only eight years old when she died of a cancer related illness, but during her short life they had lost count of the number of transfusions Haley had received. Haley may not have survived but her aunt was grateful to every single person who had donated blood that helped in Haley's battle. 

Sometimes people forget why they are donating, they don't think about where their blood is going. It was a busy session today and some people had to sit for a while before they were seen. As I was sitting a man down and labelling up his blood bags he started to moan about how long he had been waiting. I told him that I was sorry about his wait and then before he could go on I then told him the story of the lady who had been in the chair before him and how her mother was alive because of people like him.....people who were prepared to sit and wait and take a little time out of their day, but in doing so they save lives. He didn't moan anymore.