Wee Bit of an Obsession With Being Special

A little while ago, I donated blood. It was something I've been dying to do for a really long time, no pun intended, and while I seemed really nervous apparently, I really wasn't. In actual fact, it was really kind of awesome. How amazing is it to sit there for 5-10 minutes and know that the tiny donation you've given could save 3 lives?

Anyway, today I got my card. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Canadian system (or at least Ontario, but I'm pretty sure it's Canada-wide) you donate blood and they send you a card with your name on it and stuff including your blood type. I'd always been told I was A-. I told people I was A-. I was all excited because that meant I was one of only 6% of the Canadian population with blood like then. I didn't look at my card, or the letter it was tucked in. I went straight to the booklet and I noticed that O+ was 39% of the population (or something like that).

Then I looked at my letter. It told me I was O-. It said it was rare and the most needed, because anyone can receive it. I nearly cried. I thought it was the one where I was most common. For some reason that really, really bothered me. I freak out over strange things. Not only was I no longer special, but I couldn't remember enough about blood types to figure out how it was even possible when both of my parents are A-.

So like the average teen, I went straight to Google. There I found out that it is recessive. So I had to receive the O part from both of my parents. I don't know enough about blood to understand the transmission of positive or negative, but that meant I was special. I cheered up. And then I went and actually looked at the booklet and realized that I'd remembered the wrong figure. There's only 7% of the population with a blood type like mine, and we're the most needed. It's not the rarest, but there was a sticker on my card telling me that I have rare blood and that I should donate.

I'm going to. I had been planning on getting my ears pierced right away and then donating after the waiting period is over, but I'm not. I'm going to hold off for an indefinite period of time because I want to keep donating as often as I can. I'm useful. I get to listen to the Canadian Blood Services announcements where they say that there's a need for O- blood and know that I can help fill that. I can save people. Anybody. Maybe you if you're reading this. Think about it - my blood could save you. Now that's a pretty special thing, isn't it.