Saturday, 22 March 2014

The phlebotomist - a KD story

I'm not saying there will be a post a day, but I feel some kind of persistence is warranted at this age.

The year-long process leading up to being a kidney donor is surreal; a cross between being a hero – the treatment by technicians who perform the tests; and undergoing an alien probe – the tests themselves.

One I won't forget was a blood test at Dartmouth General. It was the first, and perhaps not by chance, the last time I had blood taken at Dartmouth General.

The phlebotomist, that's what they're called, commented on both the volume of things I was being tested for, and the rarity of some of the things I was being tested for.

I explained I was donating a kidney.

Needle in and rubber hose off, she looks up at me and asks "Is this the first time you've donated a kidney?"

Dumbstruck is recognizable; the phlebotomist caught it right away.

"I can't believe I just said that," she said.

"Well," I said, "It's not something I've been asked before."

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