Re: There After My Blood!!
I serve on the advisory board to a large local (non Red Cross) blood bank. I can tell you much about the blood supply and how it works.
First of all - thank you all for donating - especially the aphaeresis donors. Aphaeresis takes about twice as long but is ten times as useful and can be given more frequently.
In this world it is easy to become cynical about charity - we hear of abuses and waste often - however there can be little abuse or waste of blood. Your blood is needed and used.
The average time between when you donate and when the unit is used is about three days. Think about that. Within three days your blood is being used to help someone; a cancer patient, sickle cell sufferer, accident victim or even a wounded sodier.
Very few blood banks operate at a surplus. Those that do ship their blood immediatley out to banks which are short. Blood has a very very short shelf-life. Sadly there are too few blood donors in the world. This is why there is so much research into blood alternatives - of which there are currently none. Therefore if people do not donate - blood becomes scares surgeries are postponed and people suffer.
Blood banks which collect blood for medical (as opposed to research) purposes are prohibited from paying donors. In fact they are even limited on the value of goodies they hand out to donors. Therefore they have been reduced essentially to begging. When they call you keep in mind why they need blood and how humble the request really is.
I am truly sorry if any of you have had poor experiences when donating. Be it long waits, long drives or rude service. I wish I could say that I've never caught myself being rude to someone - but then don't we all. Thankfully people who donate are often some of the most gracious and forgiving people on the planet.
I wish the process were faster. 20 minutes for a standard donation or 45 for platelets is less than most of us spend eating lunch, waiting in traffic or reading a newspaper. To anyone waiting for blood that seems insignifigant. In comparison to other charitable activities it is much less imposing on ones time. I like to use it to catch up my reading - trade journals, books, etc. Multi-tasking!
Sometimes a phlebotomist has a rough time with a needle. I've been a victim of that too. I suppose in every other industry people always do their job perfectly, but in this one there are various people of various skill levels working on an assortment of bodies of which all are different. Thankfully bruises dimished in time for my next donation. The need for blood didn't. I still have both arms intact today.
My blood bank is open 8AM to 6PM weekdays, we are open on Saturdays and we have two "bloodmobiles' which we send onsite to anyone who asks whenever the wish. We try to do everything possible to facilitate the process.
Many people consider themselves ineligible even though they are not. Even physicians make this mistake. I am excited becaise in January I become eligible again. (damn that cruise to Belize!)
The eligibility questions are a pain - but I like to have fun with them. I love the look on their face when they ask if I've had sex with a man and I reply "not yet" or if I've ever paid for sex and I ask if my wife counts.
Blood banks do not like to exclude anyone from donating - there are few enough as it is. Sadly this is a world where lawyers can attack without notice or warning and laws are vague and juries unpredictable. There are tons of lame policies as a result - including blood banks prohibition on gay donors. Get congress to grant bloodbanks immunity from liability from accepting donations from gay men and they will again.
I will implore everyone to donate. If you're a regular donor consider Apheresis, if you've never donated make a commitment to try once. If you've quit try again. It is free to do and more valueable than money to the recipient. I am going to begin apheresis donations in January. I have a book which I plan to only read when I am donating.
It is easy to forget where your charity goes - particularly with blood. Because of patient confidentiality issues you will likely never see the face of someone who has received your blood - but know that within three days someone has received it - it could even end up being you, your child, your parent, your neighbor. Taken in those terms considering a blood donation an annoying waste of time or "giving up a piece of yourself" seems a bit silly. Every person who receives a donation is a parent, child, or neighbor to someone. Don't hold out on them.
In January I'll put up a thread after I donate. I would love to hear from everyone else how their experiences went.
Thank you.
