BLOOD DONOR, ANYONE?
1 October 2006

I will never stop getting amazed. Unfortunately I usually get amazed in a kind of scary/scared way - about how certain things in our society work. Both globally in a political context but also in a very local context, such as interactions between people or about structures in society. Frequently the only justification why things are the way they are ... is "just because they are". Thanks, that' not very helpful.

Last time I had this feeling was when my 76 year old grandmother recently needed to undergo a complicated leg surgery. She was of course very worried, both about her terrible pain but also if she ever will be able to walk properly again. This scenario alone would be enough to make most people feel depressed. What you do not expect is to be told by the doctor (on the same day as the surgery) that you need to compensate for your blood transfusion by finding 4 blood donors, urgently! My grandmother lives in Poland and is a devote Catholic. This method of using guilt made her even more anxious. How would she manage to find four blood donors when being in the hospital (where she had to stay for 3 weeks) without a phone? Luckily a good friend helped out and found four donors in two days. They were all very happy when my grandmother gave them 50 Zloty as compensation...

Blood shortage seems to be a problem in most countries - but certainly the policy requiring patients to find donors themselves almost on the spot is a bit questionable. If there is not enough blood, the State must offer us bigger carrots-a biscuit and some juice is not enough!