[Brian's Stuff]
No time like the present to donate blood

How times have changed. Two mugs, a scarf, and the newest album from the British rock group Franz Ferdinand were given as freebies to me when I bought a single hooded T-shirt recently. A deep bow by the salesperson saw me out when I left the store. I swear I could feel the affectionate eyes of a thankful salesperson on my back for a while too. These are bad times for everyone. The most common phrase uttered I hear nowadays is “It’s worse than the 1997 financial crisis.”

Getting a job, any kind of job, is harder than climbing Mt. Everest. Becoming a living test subject for new pharmaceuticals earns you about 450,000 won (for three days and two nights). Internet sites are filled with such offers, and the lines are getting longer. From taxi drivers to white-collar workers, everyone is wondering whether tomorrow will get worse - not better. That’s how bad things are.

Yet among all this financial mayhem we have stories like that of the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, who even in his death has given to others, donating his corneas. The fact that during the three-day mourning period more than 400,000 people visited Myeongdong Cathedral to pay their respects is a reflection of the character of a man who touched every corner of society, especially the weak, the sick and the poor. I watched the waiting lines from a nearby building in the area, long lines crisscrossing Myeong-dong that never seemed to shorten despite the bone-chilling cold.

Reportedly, organ donations have risen from a dozen or so registrations per day to hundreds since news broke of the cardinal’s last noble act.

About 18,000 people are said to be waiting for donors, and the average waiting period is long. It can take close to six years to get a cornea and about four years for a heart transplant.

There’s not only a shortage of organs. There’s also a chronic shortage of blood needed for transfusions, which forces the country to import blood. But even in this gray area there are people who try to help others. The bright spot here is Army Sergeant First Class Kim Kwang-jin, who has shed more blood than an entire division (typical strength about 10,000 men, 4-5 liters of blood for person, depending on weight and other factors). Kim has donated an incredible 50,000 liters of blood and is now enshrined in the Red Cross’s hall of fame for donors.

It doesn’t take any money to donate blood, just time. I haven’t given blood since I was in the military nine years ago. I know everyone is really busy these days, but we do pause for breaks every now and again. Next time we do, how about doing some good and thinking about others? It’s bleak enough out there as it is.

[africanu@joongang.co.kr]