The Reason for Donating Blood
Park Min-ji from Seoul, South Korea
Before becoming a high school student, there was something I wanted to do most. It was blood donation. I wanted the souvenirs I could get after the blood donation, and liked the fact that donating blood once is acknowledged as four hours of volunteer service at school. After I became old enough to donate blood, I participated in the blood donation in earnest. Thanks to that, in my high school, I gained the honor of “blood donation hero,” a title given to a person who donates blood five or more times. Even until then, however, I was unaware that my blood saves lives. Meanwhile, the “Blood Drive to Give Life through the Love of the Passover” was held at the Church of God.
When I heard there would be a blood drive, I simply went to my church. After filling out the questionnaires, I waited for quite a long time to undergo a basic checkup because there were many participants. In the meantime, I watched an introduction video about the blood drives that had been held in our church and the interviews of some blood donors.
Seeing a donor say with a smile, “I had a good meal in the morning to donate good blood,” I came to think that though I donated blood many times, I’d never thought that I had to give good blood to others. The next was an interview of an official from a blood bank:
“One blood donation saves three lives. We thank the Church of God for donating blood every year when we need it most during the year.”
“We save precious lives through blood donation.”
This is a given. But for me, I was only interested in the souvenirs without thinking about the true meaning of blood donation, and it sounded special to me.
Although a painter is good at drawing, he cannot draw without paints. Even a good cook cannot cook without ingredients, either. Saving lives is the same. Even though doctors have outstanding medical techniques, they cannot have a big operation without blood. I can help save three lives with a little effort, though I haven’t studied medical science and have no experience in surgery. Is there a better volunteer service than this?
After realizing the value of blood donation, I participate in the work of saving lives with a right sense of values and a thankful heart. I’m proud that our Church of God practices neighborly love with blood drives every year.