TimothyH

There is a critical need for blood where I live and I'm sure the same is true elsewhere.

Cyclists tend to be in pretty good shape and we get so much enjoyment from our sport. Please consider giving something back by donating at your local university hospital blood bank, Red Cross or elsewhere. I'm going tomorrow for apheresis - platelet donation.


-Tim-

Ogsarg

One thing to note. If your resting heart rate is less than 50, they need a note from your doctor or they need to consult with one of their docs before they can take your blood.

Or do some quick exercises before they check you to get it high enough.

Have donated over 10 gallons over the years and being O neg, they always have a need.

indyfabz

I take blood thinners so I don't want to spare any, but I appreciate those who do give.

jefnvk

I gave up trying because the workers of the day were never on the same page if insulin dependent diabetics were or were not allowed to donate, but if you have the ability, do it!

Korina

They'll only allow me to donate every 8 weeks, so it'll be a little while. Think I'm working on my 8th gallon. Go O+!

TimothyH

I hope God rewards you for your gifts.


-Tim-

Milton Keynes

I can't donate because I was in England in the early 1990's and they're afraid I might have mad cow disease.

joelcool

I donate plasma every week. I'm over 100 gallons donated now. I just don't ride my bike on the days I donate . I understand and respect that not everyone can - I can and do.

79pmooney

I donated platelets for years. And whole blood. Not any longer because each arm has now seen well over 100 of the spoke gauge needles the Red Cross uses. Platelets "count" as a pint of blood (only 5 oz of plasma are taken but ~5 pints are centrifuged and returned) so I am at around 19 gallons.

If I hear of an emergency call for B-, I'll step up, but not for a generic "we're low". (Might need my veins either for myself or to donate bone marrow.)

Edit: to the posters above with multiple donations, +1 !!

2nd edit: In my racing days, I wa giving platelets every two weeks. The nurses knew me well. I showed up once in the morning (after riding 3 miles) with a BP of 98 over 48. June, the nurse was disgusted! She falsified it to 100 over 50 knowing I was by far her fittest donor.

Ben

TimothyH

Yes, to you guys who have given gallons.


@79pmooney, are you in the National Marrow Donor Program registry? I had a daughter who had a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated NDMP registrant. It is cool that you rode your bike to donate blood.

That's another thing we can all do, look into registering to become a marrow donor.

https://www.ndmp.org


-Tim-

JanMM

That's frequent enough to be alert for anemia issues. And/or to consider iron supplementation.

I've donated semi-regularly for 35+ years. Was doing it 4-5 times/year for several years until backing off to twice a year recently. The Red Cross and local blood center are relentless about calling over and over and over.

79pmooney

Yes. I was contacted once as a possible marrow donor but it never played out. In my every 2 week days of donating I spent some time with my platelets going to a patient undergoing a transplant. In those days, there was no "pool" so the marrow came from family but I have wanted to be one of those donors ever since.

Funny, this morning's reading of a daily meditation book was, in part "... Benny, a White man, was willing to give Frank, a Black man, a kidney, Frank wouldn't accept it. He had known Benny for three short weeks, Frank knew very little about Benny. But he knew Benny must have an agenda. Nobody gives away a kidney for nothing. Frank confronted Benny with his anger, suspicion and fear, Quietly Benny replied, "I know you like to go fishing. I know you are a good father and a loving husband, I know because that's what you've shown me. Based on what I've seen, I know you don't deserve to die. Frank accepted the kidney. Benny moved to Arizona and never saw Frank again." (Acts of Faith; Daily Meditations for people of Color, Sept 7)

Now I cannot give a person of color my bone marrow; the types are by race and genetics. I do encourage non-whites to get on that registry when I can. (I loved that former Portland Trailblazer Brian Grant was passionate about getting the blacks of Portland out to give blood, platelets and get on that registry.)

Ben (edit: typo)

BlazingPedals

I am a 6-gallon donor with the Red Cross, although I stopped giving a few years ago because I couldn't handle being an invalid for a week afterward. I can say that there has NEVER been a time since I started giving at age 30 that the RC wasn't saying there was a critical shortage.

jamesdak 

I'm in the same boat. 2 years in Germany in the mid 80s....

79pmooney

Try giving platelets. The donation is a much bigger deal, both for you and the Red Cross. It takes far longer, requires a major piece of equipment to centrifuge your blood and return it and (on all the older and many of the current machines) two needles, one in each arm. But (and for some of us, this is big) you get all your red bloodcells back. You will feel a little woozy afterwards, but that is from the thinner they add to your blood so it doesn't clot on the return. That wooziness clears quickly. And there's another perk, one you will never see anywhere else unless money or payback is involved. If you need something, anything, and someone will get it for you, for the next two hours. Want your shirt button undone? Hungry? Thirsty? Someone will do or get what you want and put it in your mouth. Cold? They'll spread a warm blanket over you. Its fun. They do all this cheerfully and ask you to come back. I don't see that at home.

I got called at work for my first donation. That afternoon. I left work early and donated. It was Thursday, club race day. I rode to work planning to ride the club race that evening. The donation threw that idea out the window. So I settled for just riding out to watch as I really wasn't feeling very good when I left the Red Cross. I made the race in time to start! Felt good when I got there. So I started, and won the race! Rode 20 miles home. Wow! I can do this! Never raced on donation day again. Riding with bandaged on both arms isn't really smart. But I gave platelets all through my racing days with no consequences and loved getting a physical every two weeks.

Ben

Wildwood 

Ditto

Doge

I gave about 2 gallons in my life. I'd give after work and then rode home.
Over time they kept asking more questions that DQ'd me without going into detail.
Mainly having to do with growing up in Africa and poorly worded questions. DQ's my wife too "have you ever had sex with someone that lived in Africa?". They never asked the detail that would allow them to use my blood - I was just DQ'd Shame really. Thought about lying, because of the wording was stupid, but I just answered with facts.
I have not given in the last 30 years.

canklecat

Been awhile since I offered to donate. Years ago one of the qualification questions included whether we'd potentially been exposed to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis. Being a former dialysis nurse I had to answer yes, although I'd never had any accidental needle sticks. But that was enough to disqualify me back then. They may have changed the qualifications since then.

a1penguin

It's great to see so many regular donors of ABC products! I go every two weeks to donate platelets. I have made 240 donations, many of them double units. That's over 30 gallons. I also donated white blood cells once. I was told that the WBC are for people who are very close to death and for which there are no other options.

Stanford Blood Center gives lots of schwag and best is the 20% off coupon at Sports Basement; no limit on what you can buy! I used one of these coupons to purchase the $3500 carbon synapse for $3100 out the door.

I like the fact that I am helping save the lives of people who are very sick.

The Quiet One

I'll be getting my three gallon pin next month.

Milton Keynes

I think it's silly, it's been about 25 years ago, and I've never once shown any signs of any sort of mad cow disease. That time I was found naked in my front yard mooing and eating grass has a perfectly logical explanation as soon as I think of one...

jefnvk

But yes, I agree, eligibility rules and those enforcing them leaves much to be wondered about the process. Even though the Red Cross website explicitly says diabetics are eligible to donate, I got tired of never knowing if I would be turned away after showing up, and just gave up. Maybe I should give it another go and see if things have gotten any better of late.

wipekitty

How did that work out?

Our local donation centers are several miles from my house, and I just ride everywhere (we got rid of the family car a few years back). I finally weigh enough to give (thank you cycling), but I worry about getting woozy and not being able to transport myself and my bike back home.

OTOH, I'm AB+, so there's fewer people who can have my blood.

Doge

I was mid 20s, 200lbs and rode about 250-300 miles a week. I'd leave work ride 5 miles, give blood, ride home 40 more - slowly. A pint at my weight was not a huge deal. I'd drink more water, less beer and was fine.

TimothyH

I gave this morning.

Apheresis took almost exactly 99 minutes from the time the needles went in until the machine was shut off.

There were at least five other people giving platelets when I got there at 9:30 AM and the place was doing a very brisk business for red cells throughout the morning.


-Tim-