I reflected on the fact that my parents would rather have seen me dead than transfused. I asolutely know this.
Me too, Sulla.
It's poor enough the Watchtower regarded us as mini-adult, child-units who didn't deserve birthdays. They nurture a weird sort of sociopathy in Jehovah's Witness parents so that you can never, truly, expect them to look out for their childrens' best interests.
My JW parent had/has a Munchausen's by Proxy thing with me, and only me, to the point where I can never fully trust her inclinations with my healthcare. That warrants a topic unto itself that I'd like to explore here sometime but it's just too raw for me even in midlife.
Anyway, I have directed Mr. B to tell the hospital I am an orphan with no "next of kin" because I am positive even my siblings (neither of which are baptized JWs) would accept the blood directive to this day. It is that ingrained.
We've discussed it. They would deny themselves, they would deny our parents, they would deny me. I have made it clear that I will take blood. Yet I am squeamish just considering it. Children of the pre-1975 era, that lethal "blood is bad" indoctrination runs so deep.
I am grateful to live in an area that has two excellent hospitals providing alternatives: Englewood and Hackensack. I encourage anyone to look into their programs if JW family is in need of bloodless surgery, blood management, or whatever it's being branded now.