The Journey of a Red Blood Cell
Storyboard Text
- Hey there! I'm a Red Blood Cell, the delivery man that brings oxygen to the tissues in your body. Today, I'm going to take you along with me on my journey through the cardiovascular system.My trip starts in the bone marrow, where I am formed. It takes about seven days for me to become fully matured and ready to be sent to the heart.
- HeartVena Cava
- I am now in the capillaries that will lead me to the heart. I will enter via the Inferior Vena Cava. Tho I am currently a de-oxygenated blood cell, that will change soon.
- We are now in the right atrium of the heart. When the heart beats, it'll move us into the right ventricle, through the pulmonary arteries, and into the lungs. I can go there to collect my oxygen!
- I'm in the lungs now. I can pick up oxygen through a process knows as distillation; inhaled oxygen can pass across the thin lining of the air sacs known as Alveoli and into the blood vessels. From there, my oygenated self will go through the pulmonary veins and into the left atrium.
- Here I am, back in the heart. Only this time, I'm on the left side! From the left ventricle, I'll flow through the open tricuspid valve - an organ meant to ensure blood flow directionality. Then, I'll go through the Aorta and into the rest of the body.
- I've now arrived at the Kidneys, where I will drop off my oxygen, which keeps the body's tissues healthy and able to function. I will become deoxygenated once again, returning to the heart via the Vena Cava to pick up more oxygen. This process repeats for around 120 days before I am finally engulfed and destroyed by Macrophages. Most of my components, such as Iron, will be recycled in the liver.
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