This Toilet Given to the Glory of God

Years ago, I lived in Austin and went to a historic Episcopal church. The parish house needed major renovation, and when the parishioners were surveyed for what they wanted from the renovation, more and better bathrooms was at the top of the list. Considering how few and far between the bathrooms were, this request was predictable. Like others, I donated money to support the renovations, and the new parish house was wonderful, and the multitudes of new and bigger bathrooms were glorious and much appreciated.

My current DC area Episcopal church is also historic with a parish house needing major renovations. Once again I find myself being asked by my church to donate money to support renovations. The space is small and not used efficiently partially because the parish house is an old house. It has this tiny little ancient elevator that scares me. Also like my former church, at or near the top of everyone’s wish list is more and bigger bathrooms.

As I’ve contemplated how much money I want to and can give, I’ve also thought about what I’d like to sponsor if I had enough money to request something being acknowledged as being sponsored by me. I don’t actually know if anything in the renovations will be designated as being sponsored, but churches do that all the time with big donations. The church has brass plaques on all the pews, stained glass windows, and other items.

So I’ve thought about it just because it’s fun. The same way I think about if I died famous what would I’d like dedicated to me. I’ve already decided should I die famous that it will be written into my will that if anyone tries to name a freeway after me, my estate will sue them for defamation and pain and suffering, and I’ll come back to haunt them. A park or library would be lovely, but a freeway would be an insult.

I realized what I’d like to sponsor at my church. I want to sponsor the new toilets. I want a plaque next to a toilet that reads “This toilet donated in glory of God by GGE.” As much as the vast majority of people don’t want to think about toilets, when there are not enough, or they are not working, they are all you think about. I speak for all women when I say public places never have enough of them, and we spend too much time in line to use one. [More of my Opinions on public restroom design.] We have all sorts of euphemisms to avoid having to say the word toilet, and God forbid someone should mention the words urine or feces or urination or defecation in polite company. I’ve spent years in the lab analyzing urine and spent part of my career in wastewater treatment and conveyance. I could speak for hours on bodily human waste.

The truth is the toilet is one of the greatest inventions of all times. It effectively and efficiently takes human waste away to where it can be treated and not spread disease. Toilets prevent smelly and dangerous gases from the waste from coming inside. Humans no longer walk outside avoiding streams of human waste and falls from above from people emptying their chamber pots. Because of toilets and sanitary sewers and treatment plants, most of us do not have to worry about cholera, typhoid, Guinea worm, and many other diseases.

Be thankful that you have a toilet. When my church’s renovations are over, I know all the members of the parish will be grateful we have more of them.

“These toilets given to the glory of God and in appreciation of the past, present, and future people who ensure bodily human waste is removed from this premises and properly treated, by an environmental engineer who understands a toilet’s importance.”

Universal Blood Donor

cardI previously wrote how I decided to donate blood for the first time and live tweeted the hilarity of my nervousness during the event. Several weeks after that, I got my blood donor card. I was curious to see it because I wanted to know what my blood type is. When I got the card, I found out that I am O-negative (O-). I am a universal blood donor. I assume I have now been put on that blood donor hit list when the blood bank gets low. My blood donor card came complete with a photo of an infant’s foot to take home the fact that O- blood is often used to help newborns as well as trauma victims before their blood can be typed.

Why am I a universal blood donor? There are eight major blood types. The type refers to antigens present on the red blood cells. I say eight major blood types because there are actually more blood types than that based on various antigens found on the red blood cells, but when you donate blood, they type you based on ABO antigens and the Rh factor. With ABO antigens, there is O, A, B, and AB with O meaning the absence of A or B. You can only accept blood from someone who has antigens that you have on your own red blood cells or to say it another way, someone who does not have antigens that you don’t have. With Rh factor, you have that antigen or you don’t, so if you have it, you are Rh+ or Rh-. If you are +, then you can accept from people who have it or those who don’t. If you are -, then you can only accept from that who don’t have it. You can’t receive blood from someone with an antigen on their red blood cells that you don’t have or your immune system will quickly react very badly to that foreign antigen being in your body. If you still find this confusing, it works out like this.

Blood Type US Population* Can donate to: Can receive from:
O- 9% Everyone (O-, O+, A-, A+, B-, B+, AB-, AB+) O-
O+ 39% O+, A+, B+, AB+ O-, O+
A- 6% A-, A+, AB-, AB+ O-, A-
A+ 31% A+, AB+ O-, O+, A-, A+
B- 2% B-, B+, AB-, AB+ O-, B-
B+ 9% B+, AB+ O-, O+, B-, B+
AB- 1% AB-, AB+ O-, A-, B-
AB+ 3% AB+ Everyone (O-, O+, A-, A+, B-, B+, AB-, AB+)

*The population data is based on information from AABB.

Thus, as someone who is O-, I am a universal blood donor, but I only can receive blood from other O- people. AB+ people are universal blood recipients and can receive blood from anyone. All of this shows the importance of blood typing people before they know they will need blood. It also shows why on tv and the movies, whenever someone is rushed into an emergency room and needs blood, the medical staff scream for O- blood (plus it makes for drama). Until they have time to type the patient’s blood, they can safely give the patient O-. Thus the information on my O- blood donor card that informs me it is particularly important for me to donate blood for those emergency room patients and of course the babies whose feet are on my card. It’s a nice little guilt trip to get me to keep donating.

The guilt trip worked. I gave blood again yesterday. It went a little better than last time because I wasn’t quite as nervous, but I admit I was still nervous. Unfortunately it didn’t go quite as well as it could. Last time, I used my left arm, but because I use the computer mouse with my left hand but write with my right hand, I decided to have them use my right arm this time. Evidently I have better veins in my left arm. The phlebotomist poked my right arm and couldn’t get the needle in well or something. He asked if he could take it out, which I readily agreed to because it was causing me pain. I switched chairs. He poked my left arm and found a good vein. I guess I need to find out how to build better veins in my arms. I survived. I felt fine afterwards, and I saved another life. That’s what really important.

First Time Blood Donor

Today I donated blood for the first time. Fifteen years ago doing that would be ridiculous because I had such an awful fear of needles. Then I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and I had to have my blood taken every six weeks for a year or so until we found the right thyroid medication level. I had to learn to deal with my needle phobia, which I learned today is trypanophobia. I also learned that it makes a huge difference who puts the needle in you. Medical doctors, with the exception of surgeons, are not allowed to touch me with a needle. Only nurses who insert needles on a regular basis may touch me with a needle. If I am having a needle inserted into a vein, I demand a phlebotomist. The other problem I have though is the needle sitting in my vein. It is not the pain. It is the idea of a needle just sitting in my vein that makes me nervous. I had extremely minor outpatient surgery about ten years ago. The nurse anesthetist who inserted my IV was wonderful. I barely felt it, but looking at the IV taped to my hand still made me nervous. Of course in that instance it did not help that the saline bags were kept refrigerated, and since I was dehydrated due to the dictated not drinking after midnight, I had ice cold saline gushing through that IV into my veins. That was the most horrible part of the entire procedure.

Anyway, there was a blood drive at my office today, so I decided to finally conquer my nerves and donate blood. Someone today asked me why I decided to become a donor. Is altruism to strong a word for something like this? Besides being incredibly nervous and a little bit of uncomfortableness, I potentially am saving someone’s life with no harm or risk to myself. So why not? I, or someone I love may, or probably will, need someone’s donated blood someday. Pay it forward, right? In fact someone on Twitter thanked me as a recipient of an anonymous blood donation last year. That made the experience that much better. I donated blood. I am still alive. I didn’t even faint or get woozy. I’m pretty proud of myself.

Partially to keep myself distracted, I live tweeted my blood donation. Here is the Storify of the event.