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My name is Ruby; I am a red blood cell. A dazzling ruby red color defines me, and despite my small size—only about 6 µm in diameter—I play a vital role in the intricate dance of your circulatory system. This vivid hue comes from a protein chemical called hemoglobin, a bright red compound containing the essential element iron.
Within the circulatory system, I am arguably the most crucial of all blood cells. My primary mission involves the transportation of oxygen to every corner of your body and tissues, ensuring they receive the life-sustaining gas they need.
Simultaneously, I undertake the responsibility of ushering carbon dioxide away from your tissues, returning it to your lungs.
Now, let me take you on my journey through the intricate pathways of your body. Starting at the heart's main artery, the aorta, I make my entrance, ensuring I am laden with oxygen. Guided by the forceful contraction of your heart's left ventricle, I traverse the aorta, branching into smaller arteries that intricately weave throughout your body.
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The inner smoothness of your arteries allows me to flow swiftly, while their outer strength ensures a forceful flow.
Entering capillaries filled with oxygen, I participate in the release of oxygen and nutrients, collecting waste products along the way. This waste-rich blood then flows into your veins, embarking on a journey back to your heart and initiating the exchange of gases in your lungs. My voyage continues through your kidneys, where much of the waste is meticulously filtered from the blood.
As I travel through your small intestine, I reunite with many of my blood relatives in the portal vein, passing through your liver.
Here, your liver filters sugars from me, storing them for later use. En route through your lungs, oxygen molecules eagerly attach to the hemoglobin. When I reach your body tissues, hemoglobin graciously releases oxygen to the cells, bonding with the tissue's carbon dioxide or other waste gases and transporting them away.
After my sojourn in your lungs, I emerge with fresh oxygen in abundance. Entering your pulmonary veins, I embark on the return journey to your heart, re-entering through the left atrium. Passing through a one-way valve into your left ventricle, I exit your heart through the main artery, the aorta, initiating the blood's cyclical journey throughout your body once again.
My circulation continues as I pass through your kidneys once more, where much of the waste is again filtered from the blood. Returning to your small intestine, I reunite with blood relatives in the portal vein, passing through your liver for another round of sugar filtration. The continuous circulation ensures your body's functions are sustained.
Despite my vital role, I'm not eternal. Over time, I wear out and eventually face the end of my life cycle, which averages 120 - 130 days. Yet, your bones are steadfastly producing new blood cells from their red marrow, replenishing the supply. The body's incredible ability to maintain a constant population ensures you will always have red blood cells like me. As we speak, over 30 billion red blood cells are coursing through your body, with two million disintegrating every second, promptly replaced by the creation of new ones.
So, fear not—while I, Ruby, may have a finite existence, the perpetual cycle of blood cell creation ensures a constant presence in your circulatory system. My journey is a testament to the remarkable orchestration of life within your body, where renewal and continuity are woven into the very fabric of your being.
Journey and Renewal in the Life of a Red Blood Cell. (2016, Jul 15). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/bio-red-blood-cell-journey-essay
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