GIVE BLOOD, SAVE LIVES: ‘Giving blood is painless and helps so many people’
Highland News & Media journalist Gavin Musgrove has given blood many times over the years and here shares his reasons for doing so:
I've given blood for a fair few years now although this campaign has reminded me that I need to get back into the groove a bit more.
I have memories of going to the old village hall in Aviemore to give donations and that has been gone for more than a decade now.
It is a really simple thing to do and a way of showing kindness without any real effort - apart from making yourself available for 30 to 45 minutes every five or six months.
It was in my mind to do because my mother, Ann, has given blood ever since I was a child and she's not the bravest so I thought it would be painless - and it is.
The worst part is the little blood test made into the fingertip if you have not donated before or for a while - and that nips for 30 seconds, if that.
It's a small price to pay for as much orange squash as you can drink and a biscuit or two at the end of the session - and of course knowing that your donation is helping people in their greatest time of need.
It also means that if I should ever need to be given blood that I am not in deficit to anyone. It is nice to know that I am contributing to society.
I've got the most common blood type - O positive - found in around 35 per cent of the population which can be given to anyone with a positive blood type, so I know there will always be a good use for my blood.
It is also very quickly replenished in the body and I've never experienced any side effects in all the years I've donated.
My footy playing days are coming to an end and have clashed at times with blood-giving sessions in Aviemore, so the Give Blood, Save Lives campaign has been a timely reminder that one little gift can help so many different people.
