Better Than A Day Spa - MetroFamily Magazine
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Better Than A Day Spa

by Emery Clark

Reading Time: 2 minutes 

I’ve found something that is way better than a day spa.

Forget paying oodles of money to have yourself pampered…

What if I told you I got to go somewhere in town and kick my feet up for two hours in a comfy reclining chair while reading, watching TV, being offered blankets, free wi-fi, and movies to watch, while also being brought whatever snack foods or drinks my heart desired?

I felt like a queen!

Oh! And while I was doing that, I was also busy doing something else. I was saving lives.

Woo hoo! I was not at a day spa, I was donating platelets at my local OBI blood donation center.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) is the ninth-largest non-profit blood center in America. It provides blood products to more than 160 medical facilities in Oklahoma and is the exclusive provider for all of the hospitals in the OKC-metro area. As an added benefit, each OBI donor receives a free ‘mini-physical’ to ensure they are healthy enough to donate blood. This includes checking your temperature, blood pressure, pulse, iron levels, and even providing you with your cholesterol results after your donation. 

Did you know that one single donation you provide can save up to three lives? There’s no need to wait for a disaster to strike in order to give, donations are needed every single day of the year. Plus, donating blood can be a great way to set a positive example for your kiddos- many of OBI’s current donors say it’s because their parents are/were donors, or because a family member of theirs needed blood.

My time at the donation center was such a great experience. The platelet process takes about two hours, which may seem hard to squeeze into your daily schedule, but it is completely worth the effort. I went while my kids were at school, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! (Hello, pun?)

Whole blood donation takes only 1 hour from screening to after-donation snacks. OBI needs all blood types all the time, but they strongly encourage people with negative blood types, especially O-negative, to donate as frequently as they are able.

If you have never given blood, or haven’t done so in awhile, please contact your local Oklahoma Blood Institute Donation Center (find the nearest center and schedule an appointment online at obi.org) and get your veins on down there! Walk-ins are always welcomed, but appointments are encouraged in order to reduce your waiting time. Even if you feel afraid, or don’t like needles, I’d encourage you to try! Saving lives is always worth the effort! Your momentary discomfort could potentially restore a child to his or her parents, bring strength someone who is weak, or give much-needed hope to someone who is desperate.

Better than a day spa? Incomparably so.

Grab a friend and head down to an OBI center together- maybe in lieu of that pedicure or manicure you had planned… You will not regret it. The joy of saving a life (or two, or three) is greater than any pampering you could ever receive, I guarantee it. More info about the processes and requirements for donating can be found at www.obi.org/blood-donation.

 
   

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