Breathe in and Breathe Out __Approaching_02


Hello, I am a tiny red blood cell in your body. Today I want to tell you about my journey. My journey starts with every single breathe that you take. I travel from the heart to all around the body. I travel back to the lungs to catch more oxygen. You probably are thinking why red blood cells carry oxygen? Why does the body need that much oxygen?

All cells in your body need oxygen. It uses the oxygen to transform the energy from food into usable energy. This energy is needed by your body for normal functioning. This transformation occurs in the digestive system. This system includes a series of different chemical reactions. These reactions create energy for your body. They enable your body to do all the awesome things that you do!

Let me describe myself to you. I am formed and grow inside the marrow of bones, like all the other red blood cells in your body. Notice the image below of a thigh bone. Inside the bone is where blood is formed. Once I am ready to carry oxygen, I travel out of the bones and into the body, through blood vessels and veins. There I make my way to the right side of the heart.

Here is some information about the heart. The heart is an organ made of several muscle chambers, or hollow spaces. These chambers fill up with blood. The right side of the heart is in charge of pumping blood to the lungs. The heart pumps and beats in a repeatable rhythm.

Back to my journey! The right side of the heart will fill up with millions of blood cells. One the chamber contracts the blood is pushed into the lungs. There, every time you breathe in, oxygen is captured by red blood cells inside the lungs.