Dear editor,
This is in response to a Facebook comment printed in the Dec. 2-4 Crestview News Bulletin.
The reader thought that DONORS should be paid more than a $10 gift card for DONATING blood.
My reaction to this comment has been all over the chart, but I decided that my best response was to just say, "Thank you."
Thank you to this reader for having donated in the first place. And thank you to every donor who has walked through the doors of the blood center or the mobile bus.
You have saved a life.
You took time out of your day to do something not everyone is able to do.
Yes, sometimes, the center is very busy, especially on promotion days. And some donors have very patiently waited as much as 90 minutes to give this lifesaving donation.
These busy days are both a blessing and a curse. A curse because, who wants to wait 90 minutes to give their blood, and just to get a gift card or movie ticket, a T-shirt, a drink and a snack?
But, a blessing, because that crowded waiting area is evidence of our community's generosity.
I have been in that crowded area, and have witnessed that every donor who comes through those doors does so voluntarily.
I can also say that I have heard very few complaints.
I am a blood donor. I have a family member and friends who would not be alive today if it were not for blood donors.
The original Facebook comment stated that donors should be paid more. But how do you put a price on saving a life?
Yes, we all feel that we are worth a lot, but again, we are DONATING.
If it were not for the staffers, who draw the blood, test the blood to be sure that it is safe, and transfuse this lifesaving blood into the patient, perhaps there would be more of a "payment."
But a payment is not why DONORS walk through the door.
Thank you, again, to your readers who are blood DONORS — past, present and future.
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet us.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: What's the price of saving a life?