Giving something for Christmas – a bottle of wine or a voucher – everyone knows that. But what is it like to give something else, namely life?
Eutingen – An accident on the road, during sports or within your own four walls. “Every third person depends on a blood donation at least once in their life,” explains Alexandra Feinler from the district association of the German Red Cross (DRK) in Freudenstadt, explaining the need for donations.
What is perhaps surprising: the treatment of malignant tumors in particular would not be possible without blood donations. Nearly 20 percent of blood bags are used according to the DRK throughout Germany used for cancer. This is followed by patients with heart problems, but also stomach diseases. Statistically speaking, the “classic” road accident represents only 12%.
One donation saves up to three lives
But what is it like to donate blood? Pascal Tiffinger is one of those people who knows it well. Eutinger has been there 127 times to give his blood to other people.
“When I first started my studies, I donated blood for the first time,” she says of her youth. Helping others ran in her family, she suspects. “My father was a paramedic by trade, so doing good was part of everyday life,” recalls Tiffinger.
According to his assessment, there are three important reasons for donating blood. “With every donation, I can save up to three lives,” she says, citing his biggest motivation. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t take long and you always know afterwards that you did something good, she says.
On the other hand, after removal, the body is stimulated to produce new blood cells. This refreshment also strengthens one’s organism. And last but not least, donated blood products would also be examined as standard. “By donating regularly, I always know that my blood values are fine and that I don’t have any dangerous diseases,” explains another plus.
Tiffinger can only strongly recommend that everyone donate blood. Removing the 500 milliliters of blood in a few minutes poses no major difficulties, he plays sports himself regularly. “I take a break in the evening after the donation, but the next day everything is back to normal,” explains the rapid recovery of blood cells.
Registration by mouse click or app
Thanks to people like Tiffinger, the willingness to donate in the Freudenstadt district is three percent higher than the national average. “Any healthy person between the ages of 18 and 72 can easily book an appointment in their area on the Internet,” says Michael Molitor from the DRK blood donation service in Baden-Württemberg/Hessen, describing the low-threshold offer. If you enter the corresponding postcode on the homepage www.blutspende.de, you can register for the next appointment in the region.
The donated blood is then medically examined in a laboratory and separated into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Depending on the purpose, up to three people can be supported with one donation. If the match test between donor and recipient blood turns out positive in the hospital, nothing stands in the way of saving a life.
Up to 30 canned products per operation
The Freudenstadt clinic, for example, is supplied by the Baden-Baden blood bank, as spokeswoman Cornelia Schreib reports. Sufficient reserves are still available, which can also be requested from other depots if necessary.
But it also makes it clear that donated blood is indispensable. “In single severe cases, such as polytrauma, 20 to 30 canned goods are needed,” says Schreib, describing an emergency situation. The average consumption is one or two cans per operation.
Chocolate for donors
As a thank you for the life-saving donation and to strengthen the body, many local DRK organizations offer packed lunches, currently with chocolate Santa Claus or Christmas chocolate, for example. Feinler reveals that some local groups have even wrapped a gift around Christmas time.
Multiple donors such as Tiffinger often received a certificate of honor from the community at city or local council meetings as a mark of respect for their selfless actions.
