h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I try to make it a point to donate blood as often as possible. My wonderful boyfriend started coming with me almost as soon as he was old enough. As good as giving makes me feel, though, I probably never would have started if my sister hadn't gotten leukemia. She had a bone marrow transplant about three years ago. She did not survive the transplant, but before they started they tested my siblings and me to see if any of us were compatible. Oddly enough, the closest match was someone living in Germany (we live in the U.S.). But the whole experience, which involved the extraction of several small vials of blood, wasn't as bad as I thought. It made me realize that giving blood couldn't be too much worse (which it isn't), so I started.

One last note. I have two friends, one who is as healthy as a horse and one who is anemic. The first one is dead-set against giving blood, period. The other is so desperate to give blood and help people that one day, she headed to a blood drive. They let her give -- because that morning, she overdosed on her iron supplements so she would pass the iron test! Now that's twisted. I would say it's ironic... but that's just wrong.