Which is your Blood Group?

Which is your blood group? This is the first question I put forward to any young male I meet. People laugh at me but I am least bothered. I collect their name, mobile number and keep it as a data bank. The response varies person to person.

Couple of incidents made me to initiate the venture of maintaining the blood group database. The first incident was the sad moment when I lost my colleague of Maruti Dealer in Bangalore. Unfortunately, he was not wearing helmet when he met with an accident. We rushed him to hospital. First question put forth by doctor was about his blood group. We checked his company id card, but that particular space was left blank. We were helpless in the matter and due to the delay in recognizing the blood group and providing blood, we lost our friend forever.

Another incident, which I can never forget, is the incident that happened in Bagalkot. My sister who was admitted in one of the private hospitals at Bagalkot had to undergo a caesarian operation and the doctor asked us to make arrangements for collecting three bottles of ‘A’ negative blood. It was already 11pm and there was hardly any possibility of collecting blood. It was a time people either switches off their mobile phones or keeps it in silent mode. The hospital Blood bank could not help us. Moreover, negative blood was rare. We tried all the possible efforts but all went in vain. We lost her and the infant in her womb. These events made me to do something in this area. I donate blood frequently and inspire others to do the same. The blood you donate will save somebody who is in dire need of it. Therefore, make sure that you check your blood group as early as possible.

Many of us do not know the advantages of donating blood. Blood donation prevents the accumulation of toxic quantities. It may reduce the risk of heart disease for men. In addition, donating one pint of blood helps the donor to burn approximately 650 calories.

In Italy, blood donors get a holiday with salary on the day of blood donation. Blood donation will save some other life while making your body more fit. The Kansas University Medical Center found that men who participate in blood donation experience a 30 percent fewer incidents of heart disease and stroke compared to those people who did not. In 1998 American Journal of Epidemiology published that blood donation can reduce the overall iron levels in blood, which may protect against heart attack. However, this applies to people who had high iron in their blood to begin with. Blood donation forces your body to replace the lost blood with fresh NEW cells. Men do not have menstrual period, therefore they store iron in their bodies, and often it is more than they need. A healthy body replaces blood within 48 hours and creates NEW red blood cells within a week.