Another great opportunity to serve humanity..

Money makes Friends, Blood Makes Brothers"

"The only postive thing about me is my Blood group" 

Last evening, 3 Nov '21, when I contacted Dr. Sitalakshmi, St Johns hospital in Bangalore, she asked me to get ready for a voluntary apheresis procedure this morning. It was a great God given opportunity this morning to voluntarily donate platelets through an apheresis procedure for 2 kids aged 4 and 12 suffering from critical bone marrow illnesses. 

Click here for my earlier posted detailed researched explanation of the apheresis procedure, what it is and how safe it is ..

3 months back I had donated whole blood, my 41st donation. Since then every two to three weeks I have been doing platelet apheresis, where the whole blood is passed through a centrifuge and only platelets are separated, about 200ml or 3x10 ^^11, and the blood is sent back to the body. 

Today a 4 year old kid and 12 year old kid, waiting for bone marrow transplants at St Johns Medical college Bangalore benefitted from 100 ml each of my platelets.

From a whole blood donation, they get 70 ml platelets, but from each platelet  apheresis they collect 200 ml platelets, equal to about 3 whole blood donations. More effective and productive. To the donor it makes more sense. Since my last whole blood donation, after three months the next whole blood donation would have helped just one patient,  but the four platelet apheresis procedures have benefitted at least 8-12 needy patients.

The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of any voluntary blood donation is the number of critically ill patients who have benefitted. 

My friend Sandra from Goa had this to say, " You should create awareness as  more people can benefit. A person like you creating awareness and a hospital creating awareness is very different. More people will come forward when people like you tell others....and, do  not create awareness under the umbrella of any hospital".

My only fear is awareness creation should not be misconstrued as selfish image building. Being a socially beneficial activity,  I request more people to come forward and donate blood or specific blood components.

I have no words to thank and appreciate the blood bank department from St. John's MC Bangalore, led by Dr. Sitalakshmi and her capable team of senior residents and others, who have been a humble and selfless source of inspiration for the donors. A big thanks to all of you .. 🙏🙏

George 

Very sensible advice ..

മുഷിഞ്ഞ വസ്ത്രധാരിയായ ഒരു വൃദ്ധൻ തീവണ്ടിയിൽ ഏസി കമ്പാർട്ടുമെന്റിൽ യാത്ര ചെയ്യുകയായിരുന്നു .

ടിക്കറ്റ് പരിശോധകൻ (ടി ടി ഇ ) അയാളുടെ അടുത്ത് വന്നു ടിക്കറ്റ് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു. 

വൃദ്ധൻ തന്റെ ബാഗിനുളളിൽ തിരയാൻ തുടങ്ങി.

" ഇവിടെ എവിടേയോ കാണണം"

വൃദ്ധൻ തിരച്ചിൽ തുടരവെ അതൃപ്തിയോടെ പരിശോധകൻ പറഞ്ഞു.

"ഞാൻ തിരിച്ച് വരുമ്പോൾ താങ്കൾ ടിക്കറ്റ് കാണിക്കണം". 

വൃദ്ധൻ ടിക്കറ്റ് ഇല്ലാതെയാണ് യാത്ര ചെയ്യുന്നതെന്ന് പരിശോധകൻ ഊഹിച്ചു. കുറച്ച് കഴിഞ്ഞ് തിരിച്ച് വന്ന പരിശോധകന് വൃദ്ധൻ തന്റെ ഏസി ക്ലാസ് ടിക്കറ്റ് കാണിച്ചു.പരിശോധകന് കുറ്റബോധം തോന്നി.

'ഒറ്റനോട്ടത്തിൽ അയാളെ ഞാൻ വിലയിരുത്താൻ പാടില്ലായിരുന്നു'.

തീവണ്ടി സ്റ്റേഷനിൽ എത്തിയപ്പോൾ അയാളെ പുറത്തിറങ്ങുവാൻ പരിശോധകൻ സഹായിച്ചു.

തന്റെ ലഗ്ഗേജ് എടുക്കാൻ ഒരു ചുമട്ടുകാരനെ വൃദ്ധൻ വിളിച്ചു.

ചുമട്ടുകാരൻ ലഗ്ഗേജ് എടുത്തെങ്കിലും പെട്ടെന്ന് അത് താഴെ വെച്ച് നടന്നു പോയി. അയാൾ അടുത്ത കമ്പാർട്ടുമെന്റിൽ വന്നിറങ്ങിയ ഭംഗിയായി വസ്ത്രം ധരിച്ച ഒരു സ്ത്രീയുടെ ലഗ്ഗേജ് എടുത്ത് അവരോടൊപ്പം നടന്നു പോയി.

' ചുമട്ടുകാരനെ കുറിച്ച് നിങ്ങൾ എന്ത് വിചാരിക്കുന്നു ..😇.?' 

ഇത് കണ്ട പരിശോധകൻ വൃദ്ധന്റെ ലഗ്ഗേജ് എടുത്ത് ഒരു ടാക്സി വിളിക്കാൻ സഹായിച്ചു.പരിശോധകനോട് നന്ദി പറഞ്ഞ വൃദ്ധൻ ഒരു നൂറു രൂപാ നോട്ട് അയാളെ എൽപിച്ചു എന്നിട്ട് പറഞ്ഞു "ദയവായി ഇത് ആ ചുമട്ടുകാരന് കൊടുക്കണം.

മേലിൽ ആരെയും വേഷം നോക്കി വിലയിരുത്തരുതെന്നും പറയണം".

തിരിച്ചെത്തിയ പരിശോധകൻ ചുമട്ടുകാരനെ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ അയാളോട് പറഞ്ഞു "നിങ്ങൾ ചെയ്തത് ശരിയായില്ല. 

ഏതായാലും ഈ പണം അയാൾ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് തന്നതാണ് വേഷം നോക്കി ആരെയും വിലയിരുത്തരുതെന്ന് നിങ്ങളോട് പറയാനും പറഞ്ഞു ".

"ക്ഷമിക്കണം സാർ" ചുമട്ടുകാരൻ പറഞ്ഞു "തിരക്കിനിടയിൽ ഞാൻ പറയാൻ വിട്ടു പോയി അതൊരു അന്ധയായ സ്ത്രീയാണ്. 

സ്ഥിരമായി ഞാനാണ് അവരുടെ ലഗ്ഗേജ് എടുക്കാറുള്ളത് .ഞാനതിനു കൂലിയൊന്നും വാങ്ങാറുമില്ല.താങ്കൾ ആ വൃദ്ധനെ കാണാൻ ഇടയാവുകയാണെങ്കിൽ അദ്ധേഹത്തോട് പറയണം ആരേയും ഒറ്റനോട്ടത്തിൽ വിലയിരുത്തരുത് " .

നാമാണ് യഥാർത്ഥ ശരിയെന്നാണ് നമ്മുടെ ധാരണ...

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എന്നാൽ നമ്മളേക്കാൾ വലിയ ശരി അവരാണെന്ന് തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നതിൽ നാം പരാജയപ്പെടുന്നു.

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സ്വന്തം ഭക്തി, ആരോഗ്യം, സന്തോഷം, മനസ്സമാധാനം, ഉറക്കം ഇതിനേക്കാള്‍ പണത്തിന്‌ പ്രാധാന്യം നല്‍കരുത്‌.

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സത്‌ഫലങ്ങള്‍ മാത്രം തരുന്ന മരത്തെപ്പോലെയാവുക, 

കല്ലെറിഞ്ഞാലും അത്‌ ഫലങ്ങള്‍ കൊഴിച്ചുതരും.

പെരുമാറ്റരീതികളും, മനോഭാവങ്ങളും പൂന്തോട്ടത്തേക്കാള്‍ മനോഹരമാവട്ടെ..

സമയത്തെ ക്രമീകരിച്ചാല്‍ ചെയ്യാനുള്ളതെല്ലാം ചെയ്യാന്‍ കഴിയും.

നല്ല ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങള്‍ വായിക്കുക..അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ വിശുദ്ധ ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങളുടെ പാരായണം കേള്‍ക്കുക..

ഒരു പക്ഷെ അതിലെ ഒരു ചെറിയ വചനം ഹൃദയത്തില്‍ പ്രകമ്പനം സൃഷ്ടിച്ചേക്കാം...

മഴയേക്കാള്‍ ഉപകാരിയാവുക. ചന്ദ്രനേക്കാള്‍ സൗന്ദര്യള്ളമുള്ളവരാകുക

നമ്മുടെ അലങ്കാരം സ്വര്‍ണ്ണമോ വെള്ളിയോ അല്ല, മറിച്ച് എളിമ, വിനയം, ക്ഷമ, ദയ, അറിവ് പരോപകാരം എന്നിവയാണ്.

നിരാശയില്‍ അകപ്പെട്ടാല്‍ ഒന്നും പഠിക്കാനോ ഒന്നിലും സന്തോഷം കണ്ടെത്താനോ കഴിയില്ല. 

ആരോഗ്യകരമായ ശരീരത്തില്‍ ചതി, വിദ്വേഷം, അസൂയ എന്നിവക്ക്‌ സ്ഥാനമില്ല.

ദാനധര്‍മ്മങ്ങളിലൂടെ പാവപ്പെട്ടവന്റെയും ആവശ്യക്കാരന്റെയും സ്‌നേഹം നേടുക

പ്രാര്‍ത്ഥന പതിവാക്കുക.

ഒരു മണിക്കൂറിലൊരു ആശയം രൂപീകരിക്കുക, ഒരു ദിവസത്തിലൊരു സല്‍കര്‍മ്മമെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യുക.

നമ്മുടെ ചിന്തയാണ് നമ്മുടെ സ്വര്‍ണ്ണം, ധാര്‍മ്മികതയാണ്‌ അലങ്കാരം, നല്ല പെരുമാറ്റമാണ്‌ സമ്പത്ത്‌.

കൊടുങ്കാറ്റിന്റെ നടുവിലും നല്ലതേ വരൂ എന്നു ചിന്തിക്കുക. 

ഉപദേശം കൊണ്ടും ദയയുള്ള വാക്കുകള്‍കൊണ്ടും നിങ്ങളെ സഹായിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയുന്നവരോട്‌ മാത്രം നിങ്ങളുടെ സങ്കടങ്ങള്‍ പങ്കുവെക്കുക.

വീണു പരിക്കേറ്റ കുഞ്ഞിനെ ഓര്‍ത്ത്‌ കരഞ്ഞ്‌ സമയം കളയരുത്‌. അവന്റെ മുറിവുകള്‍ വേഗം പരിചരിക്കുക..

ഓരോ ദിവസവും പുതിയ തുടക്കമാവുക. ചെയ്യാന്‍ കഴിയാത്ത കാര്യങ്ങളെ ഓര്‍ത്ത്‌ വിഷമിക്കരുത്‌, മെച്ചപ്പെടുത്താന്‍ കഴിയുന്ന കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്‌ സമയം ക ണ്ടെത്തുക.

നമ്മുടേതു പോലെ എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും പ്രശ്‌നങ്ങളുണ്ട്‌ എന്ന്‌ ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളുക. മനസ്സ്‌ ശാന്തമാക്കുക.

കഴിഞ്ഞ കാലത്ത്‌ നമ്മള്‍ തെറ്റു ചെയ്‌തിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കില്‍ അതില്‍നിന്ന്‌ പാഠം ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളുക, എന്നിട്ട്‌ അവയെ വിട്ടുകളയുക.

ഏറ്റവും നീചമായ ശത്രുവാണ്‌ നിരാശ, അതിന്‌ മന:സ്സമാധാനം നശിപ്പിക്കാനുള്ള കരുത്തുണ്ട്‌.

പോയ കാലത്തെ മാറ്റാന്‍ നമുക്കാകില്ല. ഇനിയുള്ള കാലത്ത്‌ എന്താണ്‌ സംഭവിക്കുക എന്നും നമുക്കറിയില്ല, പിന്നെന്തിനാണ്‌ നാം സങ്കടപ്പെടുന്നത്‌. 

ഭക്ഷണം കുറക്കുക, ശരീരത്തിന്‌ ആരോഗ്യമുണ്ടാകും.

പാപങ്ങള്‍ കുറക്കുക, മനസ്സിന്‌ ആരോഗ്യമുണ്ടാകും. 

ദു:ഖങ്ങള്‍ കുറക്കുക, ഹൃദയത്തിന്‌ ആരോഗ്യമുണ്ടാകും.

സംസാരം കുറക്കുക, ജീവിതത്തിന്‌ ആരോഗ്യമുണ്ടാകും.

ജീവിതം തന്നെ കുറച്ചേയുള്ളൂ..വിഷമിച്ചും, ദുഖിച്ചും പിന്നെയും പിന്നെയും ജീവിതത്തെ ചെറുതാക്കിക്കളയരുത്‌...

മോശമായ നാവ്‌ അതിന്റെ ഇരയെക്കാള്‍ അതിന്റെ ഉടമക്കാണ്‌ കൂടുതല്‍ പ്രയാസമുണ്ടാക്കുക. 

സുന്ദരിയായ സ്‌ത്രീ ആഭരണമാണെങ്കില്‍, സദ്‌‌വൃത്തയായ സ്‌ത്രീ നിധിയാണ്‌. 

മനസ്‌ സുന്ദരമായാല്‍ കാണുന്നതെല്ലാം സുന്ദരമാകും.

കൂട്ടുകാരെ ഇത് വായിച്ചു കഴിഞ്ഞു ഇഷ്ട്ടപ്പെട്ടാൽ ഷെയർ ചെയ്യണേ , കാരണം നല്ല കാര്യങ്ങൾ അറിയാൻ കൊതിക്കുന്ന ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് കൂട്ടുകാർ നമുക്ക് ചുറ്റിലും ഉണ്ടെന്ന കാര്യം ഒന്നോർക്കണേ

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Make meaning of your life ..

It was depressing to hear about some instances of cancer that had hit my close relatives and was wondering how to face it physically and psychologically that I decided to have a look for an interesting article. It was then that I hit upon an interesting HBR article that mentioned how to handle the difficulties and life changes associated with cancer.

I happened to read the HBR article, the real life reflections, by London Business School Professor Dan Cable "The most powerful lessons my cancer taught me about life and work" (click here) which is condensed here into just three points.

1. Identify the stories you have been telling about yourself, your actual and earlier activities, your purposes of life

2. Choose a better story about the same activities but with a different meaning and emphasis

3. match your behaviors to the new story so that your new meaning of the stories can make better connection

Cancer patients, most of them would have been earlier chasing their careers, often ignoring family life, work life balance etc. When the news of cancer strikes them like a bolt from the blue, they scramble around to find new meaning to their life. Often at this point they realise it is not worth running behind the pleasures and rewards life offers and instead start concentrating on the small pleasures and relationships of life, often enriching them.

The third point of matching behaviours to suit the new story is what transforms the life. If earlier people were behind money, fame and reputation, suddenly one finds people going after work life balance, peace, yoga, daily exercises, spirituality and the like. 

This transformation is worth going after after one realises the shortcomings of life. So when life gives you a shock or redirects it, instead of losing hope and entering a state of despair, find new meanings for your life and adjust your life to these new meanings, let what Prof. Dan Cable did with his personal life on realising he was affected by cancer. Now he has a new and different meaning for life and is happy with it.

George.

Third apheresis at SJMC 20 oct '21 and clearing lot of doubts ..

Yesterday, being a holiday, I called up Dr Sitalakshmi at St. John's asking whether there was any need of platelets. She asked me to come by 11 am. From 11.20 am to 1.30 pm, as usual in earlier cases, I donated platelets. I am very thankful for the SJMC staff, it was again a great and pleasant experience for me.

I also got to talk with the PG doc Dr. Ashley for two hours on Amazon, Jeff Bezos, global history, Peter Diamandis, Yuval Noah Harari  and so on. Also about human migration from Africa 66,000 years back till 25,000 years back to Cape Horn  South America. Since the process should happen only under medical supervision, the interactions with the doctor and understanding about his studies, work life balance etc, helped me to pass time fast.

 

Naturally when I speak about apheresis to others, what people usually ask is how safe is it ?. Earlier a whole blood donation would be over in 20 minutes, there is only some blood drain from your body, but during apheresis, it is recirculation of the blood after passing through an external centrifuge machine that takes out the platelets from the blood, the rest of the blood reenters the body, this is the cause for this doubt among the people. 

 

Some questions I had to answer to people regarding apheresis. My own family members started questioning my discretion as regards the procedure. With my limited medical knowledge and help from uncle Google, I could get some relevant info, hope it turns out useful for potential future donors.

 

1. Can infections come from the centrifuge or the kit ? Enough care is taken in the machine to prevent any infections through blood, the doctors say. After every process, I am more than confident it is cleaned well before the blood of the next patient is passed through it. Moreover, the external kit for doing an apheresis is very costly, about INR 14000/-. It is sterilised enough and kept in sterile conditions, so no cause for worry.

 

2. Is whole blood donation safer than apheresis ? Medical literature quotes that the risk of medial complications is less in apheresis, than with whole blood donation. 

Overall, evidence in the literature suggests that the frequency of reactions to apheresis donation is less than that seen in whole blood donation, though the risk of reactions requiring hospitalization is substantially greater.  Jeffrey Winters, pubmed.gov

Click here for the abstract of a paper on Complications of Donor Apheresis, pubmed.gov, nih.gov, National Library of Medicine. The paper claims that the complications though less than whole blood donation, the complexity of complications could be greater in apheresis. 

3. What are the side effects of apheresis ? Some close family members and close friends were sceptical and questioning me on the side effects of apheresis. From medical literature of all these years, (that is the only evidence we have of any complications), the only side effects can happen only during the apheresis procedure.

Some people have side effects from apheresis. These may include an allergic reaction, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, or low blood pressure. You may feel numbness, tingling, and itching. Most side effects will stop when the treatment ends - Learning about Apheresis, Uty of Alberta

Click here for a doc by University of Alberta on the side effects of Apheresis. 

4. What happens during apheresis ? What is the process of Apheresis ? 

Image courtesy, med.utah.edu

The process of apheresis involves removal of whole blood from a patient or donor. Within an instrument that is essentially designed as a centrifuge, the components of whole blood are separated. One of the separated portions is then withdrawn and the remaining components are retransfused into the patient or donor - med.utah.edu

5. Is apheresis safe for me? Yes, apheresis donations are very safe. Each donation is closely supervised by trained staff who observe the donors throughout the process. Only a small percentage of your platelets are collected, so there are no risks of bleeding.  www.leehealth.org

6. What are the medical conditions that are treated with apheresis precedure ? Stanford Healthcare talks of the different medical conditions that can be treated with apheresis. Conditions treated with apheresis may include: (courtesy Stanford Healthcare), links provided for more detailed study

Stanford Healthcare claims to deliver the highest levels of care and compassion,.

• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Graft versus host disease
• Hodgkin's disease
• Leukemia
• Lymphoma 
• Multiple myeloma
• Myeloproliferative disorders
• Sickle cell disease
• Small cell lung cancer
• Thymoma

My experience at SJMC during the apheresis procedure is getting very interesting  day by day as I get to know more each time by interacting with the very informed professionally trained medical professionals available there for helping the people. Very informed and professional competent friendly doctors and staff at the blood bank are a real asset to the hospital. Reached home by 2 pm.

 

In total it was an interesting and good experience.. Experience is what matters in the present day world. You will get all wealth and leisure in life, but rich experience and knowledge one can get only by personal interaction with real life situations and knowledgeable individuals. Thanks to St. Johns Medical College doctors once again.

George 

My first IKEA purchase ..

Ikea is already a household name in Europe and US. I have been hearing lot about it and been watching videos and even read cases done on it.
 

Here is what Forbes has to say about it - IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad. IKEA operates 422 stores in more than 50 markets. Nearly 70% of the stores located in Europe. The best countries for IKEA are Germany (15% of sales) and the U.S. (14%). The retailer added 19 stores last year, including its first store in India in Hyderabad. Ikea received 957 million store visits in 2018 and 2.5 billion to Ikea.com. It offers roughly 9,500 products.

Ikea generated sales of Euro 39.6 billion in 2020. From sales of about Euro 21.5 billion in 2008, Ikea has grown in 2020 to about Euro 39.6 billion, ie. about 60% in ten years. Very decent and modest growth considering the fact that this GREEN industry cannot grown like other modern businesses.

 

The other day I made my first purchase at Ikea on the Ikea India app. From Bangalore Chennai etc we can only make online purchases till now. Very soon I am sure Ikea's physical store will open in Bangalore, that is what I have been told. My purchase was a steel bedside table costing about Rs 800/-. I was surprised to find that the same table is available at Amazon as an Ikea product at Rs 1300/-. The design w sleek and excellent. Great value for the INR 800 I spent on it.

 

I remember it was about 4 years ago, that I first did a case discussion on Ikea in the class. IKEA has grown very big and in India they have set up their head office in Hyderabad and their big store in Mumbai.  Ikea is operating in an industry that is fully dependent on nature and greenery. If there are no trees, Ikea does not exist. This raises a major question about the scaling up of this industry naturally, unless one comes with innovative sustainable measures for scaling up.Ensuring availability of hard and soft woord across the year in different geographies is a real challenge for the company. Availability of hard wood, soft wood is a challenge in India. With the increasing rate of deforestation, Ikea is in a very piquant state in India as citizens are aware of the environmental degradation such a consumerist culture in wooden furniture can bring to India.

 

Planned deforestation in select areas in the country growing select type of wood and usage of particle board can make big difference in India. Rubber trees are harvested after almost 15 years of its growth and loss of yield, when its wood is used for making strong durable furniture.

Will Ikea be able to bring bout an innovative wood growing and logging method in India to satisfy the needs of the world ? Who will be the credible and reliable competitors for Ikea in India and the world ?

These days having stylish wooden furniture at home has become a style statement which has led to a consumerist culture among youngsters to acquire more and more wooden furniture even though there is no real need for it at home. We have to wait and see what will be the big change that Ikea can bring about in the youngsters of the country ? 

 

Mail me at geasaw@gmail.com for a case on Ikea.  

 

George

My second apheresis at St. Johns Hospital, Bangalore.

On 30 September 2021, I made a call to Dr. Sitalakshmi, in charge of the St Johns Blood transfusion service, but could not contact her. Later she called me back to ask whether I was ready to donate platelets for a pregnant patient. I readily agreed. She had called me a week earlier (two weeks after my previous apheresis) but I was busy with classes and could not bunk from work.

 

On 31 September , I reached St Johns blood bank at 8.45 am. The two hour process started  at 9.15 and was over by 11.15 am. After taking 10 minutes rest and a fruit juice, I walked almost a km to State Bank of India branch in Industrial area in Koramangala for some banking related work. Perfectly fit.

The platelets help in blood clotting. This time about 100 ml, 3 x 10 ^^11 in number was collected and given for a pregnant lady who was suffering from excessive bleeding in the hospital. I wish the donation becomes useful for her.

Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small, colorless cell fragments in our blood that form clots and stop or prevent bleeding. Platelets are made in our bone marrow, the sponge-like tissue inside our bones. Bone marrow contains stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. -www.redcrossblood.org

Platelets are tiny blood cells that help your body form clots to stop bleeding. If one of your blood vessels gets damaged, it sends out signals to the platelets. The platelets then rush to the site of damage and form a plug (clot) to fix the damage. -                 www.urmc.rochester.edu

 

Thrombocytopenia (low platelets count) signs and symptoms:

• Easy or excessive bruising (purpura)
• Superficial bleeding into the skin that appears as a rash of pinpoint-sized reddish-purple spots (petechiae), usually on the lower legs.
• Prolonged bleeding from cuts.
• Bleeding from your gums or nose.
• Blood in urine or stools.        - www,mayoclinic.org
  

Low platelet count is symbolic of Leukaemia. Platelets usually survive in the blood for 7 - 10 days and die naturally. 

What is a healthy platelet count - A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Having more than 450,000 platelets is a condition called thrombocytosis; having less than 150,000 is known as thrombocytopenia.  www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Here is a good link on blood and its constituents from the Uty of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre, click here.

Life makes meaning when we give, not when we amass for ourselves .. When I tell others about blood donation and apheresis, I get mixed reactions from people.  Most of them are appreciative, but a bit cautious. Some of them raise concerns of hygienic blood transfusion services, while others find it bothersome to go to a blood bank, stand in queue and spend half an hour for humanity. But generally on the whole the response is positive and appreciative.

After blood donation with the knowledge that it is going to help at least three or four needy patients, there is a great feeling of having done something for fellow human beings without any hope of returns. Before the process, one is given two Calcium tablets and after the process, a can of fruit juice. 

 

With no tiredness and no lethargy, blood donation opens an infinite resource of positivity and optimism in your mind and body, helping everybody in your contact to bubble with zeal, confidence and energy. Ever since I started this process from the Govt. Medical College, Trivandrum, Kerala in 1984, there has been no looking back. We also have a great committed blood donation team at St. Johns hospital with whom I have become friends, Dr. Sitalakshmi and Dr. Ashley, especially after my forty third donation.

 

George

An Amazon Echo dot for Dayabhavan orphanage

After our visit to Dayabhavan two weeks back, Anila and myself decided to give an Amazon echo dot (gen 3.0) to Dayabhavan at Kunigal, Tumkur. Dayabhavan is an orphanage run by Malankara Orthodox Syrian church in Kunigal, Tumkur, Karnataka, India with 70 boys, non-HIV infected of HIV parents. 

Amazon echo dot is an Artificial Intelligence enabled voice controlled smart speaker with excellent audio reproduction capabilities.

The Amazon Echo Dot is a voice-controlled smart speaker that uses an artificially intelligent personal assistant named Alexa to perform a broad range of activities. Alexa can play music, set alarms, control other "smart" devices in the home, play games, and answer questions by searching for information on the internet, just to name a few of its many skills - www.businessinsider.com

Day before yesterday Friday 11 Sept, Father Jinesh called me to say the product has been delivered by Amazon.  The same day evening they have finished configuring the system to their wi-fi network. The echo dot has been kept in the front visitor's room and is accessible to the inmates, the staff and visitors alike.

The purpose of donating an echo dot has been thought out very much. There are many intelligent and curious kids among the inmates at Dayabhavan. We are hopeful that the product will instill an interest in some of the children to follow a degree and profession in computer science and Artificial Intelligence. 

Kids will be able to dream of the infinite possibilities open in life in front of them only when they see the real life product. Hope this small gift from our side will motivate the kids to think of Industry 4.0 and beyond.

 

Tracking Amazon echo or Google Home, who is leading (click here) ? 

Start working with Alexa, the Amazon AI (click here) ..

George.