The blood that saved my life

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In the winter of 2009, which turned out to be the severest winter of my life, I learnt that my haemoglobin level had dropped to below the minimum acceptable level. It started in the morning when I simply fell out of bed, instead of waking up leisurely, with a stretch as I normally did.

I was so dizzy and my heart was beating so loud I initially thought somebody was beating a drum, so deafening was the sound. It took a while for me to recognise that it was my heart! I took a bath and before I could dry myself, I needed to rest awhile. I gathered as much courage as I could and went through the motions that day although my chest was beating up to a crescendo. By midday, I had to seek medical attention and it wasn't until the next day that I went for a physical examination and was told that my haemoglobin levels had reached unacceptable levels and I urgently needed a blood transfusion. By then I felt suffocated, my throat was closing up, just the effort of pulling a sweater over my head was an impossible task and I was rushed to the nearest hospital.

The first thing they did when I got to the hospital was check my blood pressure and temperature. I am the kind of person who likes to guard my personal space but that night my barriers came crashing down as my beliefs about life, judgments I had placed upon other people crumbled; my mindset was about to be reset and an assessment of my personal values was about to be eroded forever. In less than 24hrs, I came to the realisation that we are all blood brothers and sisters and equally valuable.

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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