By Johannes Malinowski
Lives are saved at Alexa: The German Red Cross (DRK) has been running a blood donation center in the shopping center in Berlin-Mitte for two years. Everyone can become a hero here – including the BZ reporter.
For Halloween, the employees dressed up in spooky costumes on Tuesday. Witch hat and make-up instead of practice clothes. I like it.
The important volunteer work begins with paperwork. Inclusion in the file, a questionnaire. FSJ member Eileen (17) takes blood from my middle finger with a spike to determine the hemoglobin value. This is the red blood pigment. If there is too little of it, the body cannot compensate for the blood loss caused by the donation. I am okay.
Before donating, there is paperwork to register Photo: Charles Yunck
Cancer patients, accident victims, organ transplant recipients: everyone needs someone else’s blood. “A fifth of the donations alone go to oncology,” says DRK spokeswoman Kerstin Schweiger.
Doctor Petra Helmes checks the questionnaire and measures blood pressure. She has been working at the DRK for 25 years. “I had a stillbirth in 1994 and needed a lot of blood,” she says. “I later asked myself how I could make up for it.” When new donors are afraid, she tells her story.
Sally Stöwe (27), management consultant from Friedrichshain: “I have been donating blood regularly for a year. Originally I was just curious and wanted a health check-up. The effort is low and I’m doing good.” Photo: Charles Yunck
Men are allowed to donate six times a year, women four times. The spokeswoman: “Around three percent of Germans donate regularly, 33 percent could be.” 80 percent of people rely on a donation at least once in their life.
Things are getting serious for me. The lounger is comfortable, my arm rests on a rest. Doctor’s assistant Christine pricks my vein with a shockingly thick needle. It’s not pleasant, but it’s over quickly. The blood flows through a tube into a bag that swings back and forth on an electric rocker to prevent the blood from clotting.
After seven minutes and 31 seconds, the bag is full with half a liter of blood. He will be brought to Dresden that evening. There the blood is separated into red blood cells, blood plasma and platelets. 24 hours later it comes back to Berlin.
Half a liter of blood is collected in a bag per donation Photo: Charles Yunck
The components are stored refrigerated in the Institute for Transfusion Medicine at Hindenburgdamm (Lichterfelde). Clinics can then access them. And save the next life.
I’ll stay there for a few more minutes. There will be a small snack for the donors afterwards. And the feeling of having done something good.