Earned a Big Milestone Today (Brag and Beg)

Kudos to you for donating blood. I also donate when I can. Last time I donated, the nurse commented on how fast I filled up those little baggies. I'm a bleeder! Which, come to think of it, doesn't sound like a good thing, haha. But he said I deserve a medal, and we talked about running and triathlon, and joked about how I should PR on my donation time next round.

There's always a need for blood, and it's in you to give!

I have been donating blood pretty regularly for the last five years or so.  From the start I have known that Canadian Blood Services likes my blood because I'm O negative / universal donor.  At a recent donation the nurse told me that they really like my blood because it is also CMV negative ( http://thebloodconnection.org/products-services/donor-services/baby-donors/ ) which I guess makes me a universal baby blood donor.

So basically if I don't donate I'm a heartless schmuck who is depriving babies of blood transfusions.

Good post and I agree - give blood!

Don

It's a race right?  Not that I'm competitive but I always compare how quickly I fill up the bag compared with the guys on the other beds around me.  Anyone else do this?

Don

When I started donating in high school we would ask to get stuck simultaneously so we could "race." I've always had good flow, but it took a while to get the needle right. The double red process is different so I have no one to race really, but I should time for a PR next time. 

We are a strange lot. Wearing garmins to mow the lawn, all that.

There are so many ways to be deferred or declared ineligible. I often say that the perfect blood donor is a boring isolated virgin. (Actually, where I live the Amish are major committed blood donors, so I know I am on to something.) 

There is a one year deferral for any tattoo. I had many deferrals in my 20s. The funny thing is, it all depends where you had it done. I don't mean on the body, I mean the state. Some states regulate and certify shops, so you're cleared if you did it in one of those. PA has no regulation, so I would have to go to NY for ink to avoid deferral by the Red Cross. And really, it is the FDA that makes the rules. Their blanket prohibition on all homosexual males really troubles me, especially now that we have better science than the mid80s, but it's one of those cases where disagreeing with the policy cannot mean boycotting the system. The people who need the blood are not to blame for the tight regulations that come from the FDA. I have had many people who are ineligible say they are glad for the ones who make up the gap. 

Though every time I answer the questions, I realize how boring my life is. Sure it's nice to have never taken any medication other than antibiotics or prednesone, ever, so that list is no problem for me. But I've never lived anywhere else, and the survey reminds me of it. Oh well, blooming where I'm planted I suppose, and bleeding too.

Nice goal Claaw.....kudos to you!  

I have given twice a year for 25 years....it's easy for me because they are blood drives sponsored by my department.

 For anyone who has never given blood....it's REALLY easy, and so vital.  

Please give some thought to becoming a donor, I have seen it save lives many times.

Congrats!!!

I'm also a donor and will be doing my first double cell donation on Tuesday.  I figure after all the times I've been in the hospital, it's the least I can do for all the random strangers that helped me get better.   

Awesome milestone!

As someone who has one of the rarer blood types (A-NEG), I have tried to donate regularly since my late teen years.  I've never done the double-red (that's the apheresis machine, correct?), but have always seen the people sitting in those chairs when I go.  I'd like to do it some time, but it'll have to wait until after my training load decreases

So annoying in Australia they won't take my British blood coz I lived in the UK while Mad Cow disease was prevalent, there's no screening for that so they just don't take it.

My hubby donates though.

Im going to the UK in December - I'll give while I'm there, they ain't so fussy.

Had the same happen to me when I was in the US.  Couldnt donate because I'm just too high a risk for mad cow disease!

let me start off by saying great thread and I'm glad there are plenty of healthy peeps that do a good thing with a talent they didnt have to train for (whether your race the next guy or not, hahaha).

I have learned that giving blood is good and it lasts for about two weeks when stored correctly. It can only be given to people of the same blood type. While plasma on the other hand can be donated by anyone and given to anyone since the compasition of A, A+, A-, B etc... are not there. Giving plasma can be done every two weeks verses every 56 days for whole blood. The red blood cells are returned to your body via the same needle. Its a take, give back, take, give back type of donation. they also put 300CC's worth of IV fluids into your system so you dont feel light headed or cloudy.

Congratulations on your 4 gallon donation mark, that's amazing!!!!!

Yeah, as a potential "Mad Cow Brit" living in the US (and previously Australia) they never take my blood now.  Plus I've been borderline anemic for a number of years.  I regularly gave blood in my teens/20's and 30's, especially in the Middle East as their was always a shortage of blood there.  I can't remember the number of times my Dad used to drive me to the hospital after midnight calls begging me to give blood as there was an emergency.  My Mum and I are universal donors, so we were always in high demand.  Unfortunately the blood donation "vampire vans" won't touch me now!  How times change....

i can see how the a worry over contaminanted blood would make you hesitate to receive a transfusion, but I'm not sure how it translates to avoiding donating. A donor has no contact with other blood, it's as sterile as giving blood to our doctor's office for testing. No sharing needles or anything remotely like it. Even if it may have looked that way for whatever reason then, rest assured that you're completely in the clear to give in 2012.

Well, they are not a business, but a non-profit. They still need to operate. I am amazed at how expensive it is to get my blood. My local drives for example: we live at the edge of two regions, so the crews come from 2 hours away in one direction, or 90 minutes from the other. That's a lot of gas. They have several staff on site, as well as at the blood center. Blood collection needs paid staff, the volunteers are the nice old ladies doing check in and the snacks. The machine that does my double red draw can't be cheap. And even for whole blood, just a needle and a bag right? I've been told those bag setups cost somewhere around $40-50 each. Storing blood is probably a bit more involved than a cooler in the van and a fridge from Home Depot at the warehouse.

When I was a lot younger, I was horrified at the idea hat there was a fee for the blood, especially since the donor doesn't get paid. (There are some blood banks that pay, but as Red Cross is the largest collector, most donors do not.) But when I looked at the cost of the system necessary to make it all happen, it made sense. Is $300 steep? Maybe. But if I were on the receiving end, let's say needing 3 units, is another $900 on top of what is probably a huge hospital bill aleady, to et the stuff hat will have the most direct affect on saving my life? I'll take it.

But I definitely agree with you that any group like this needs constant auditing and assessing of its financials. They have become very top down, and it is turning away local volunteers. Centralizing everything. Maybe they are reflecting the reality that volunteers are harder to find. Those old ladies used to be the young ladies doing the same thing. They've been at it for decades. Civil engagement is cosidered quaint now, or something you do for a couple hours a year for a school resume. Maybe they have to hire more staff to make up for the difference. I don't know. It frustrates me when I used to go to the cookies after donating and someone would check my card and see if I was due for a new pin, then pull it out of a tray from the local chapter. Now the central system sends you a postcard when you hit your milestone and you can order one online. Less personal. Inconsequential really, but just a different feel than the local chapter.

If you want to see a real disaster in funding charity, check out the salaries at the top of United Way. That's a freaking racket. Their percentage back in actual philanthropy is abysmal.