I’ve only donated blood once before and hadn’t planned to again, but Saturday I gave for Wendi.
American Red Cross phlebotomist Jessica Tuel took down my blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and hemoglobin levels to ensure I was eligible to donate at the second Wendi Winters Memorial Blood Drive, held at the Crowne Plaza Annapolis. She said the Red Cross provides two-thirds to three-quarters of the nation’s blood supply.
“It’s a very important mission,” Tuel said. She gets to meet a lot of different people and save lives in the process, she said.
My first and only experience prior to Saturday’s donation wasn’t ideal. It was about five years ago, and I hadn’t eaten beforehand so passed out.
I probably wouldn’t have tried to give again if it weren’t for the moving stories of Winters, with whom I worked when I was a reporter with The Capital, and her commitment to donating blood.
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