Did you know one out of every seven people who enter a hospital will need blood? That means, blood is a constant need. The Oklahoma Blood Institute provides blood for 161 medical facilities, blood donors give more than a quarter of a million blood each year!

Today, I wanted to share with you our story of donating blood. Many are not sure what to expect, how long it will take, etc. My husband recently donated blood, I followed him throughout the entire process and thought I would share it with you and encourage you to get out and donate also!

The whole process is remarkably quick and easy! First, we visited obi.org to find our nearest donor center and schedule a time to give blood. Their website answers all of your questions and will put you at ease if you’re a little nervous about donating.

The day of the donation, we visited Donor Express and filled out much of the paperwork online simply to save time. Just keep in mind, this can only be done the day of the donation.

Once we arrived at our donation center, my husband was taken back for a few minutes by a nurse to ask a few medical questions. Once he was finished with the nurse, he was ready to donate.

My husband actually has O Negative blood which makes him even more of a perfect candidate to donate. He won’t admit it but I’ll tell you he was a little nervous. It turned out to be super easy and the staff was wonderful.

The actual donation part was painless and took about 10 minutes. We were able to catch up on the latest news on the television and as soon as it was over, snacks were plentiful. We waited about another 15 minutes or so in the snack area and then we were out the door.

Overall, we’re talking about spending less than 30 minutes saving the life of another person by donating blood. The experience was great, if you haven’t donated before, get out and try it! Visit obi.org for more information and schedule a time to donate. I promise, it’s simple and you’ll feel good.