This is another public service announcement.
It has been 56 days since my last blood donation. I was eligible to donate again today, and guess what I did? I went down stairs for the blood drive. Now while I am still keenly aware that Jacob was saved by a pint of vintage red, I will admit that my adamants about doing this does not solely derive from that life changing event, though it is a big factor its not the primary one today. No, once I have donated 3 times in the period of one 12 month period I gain a day of paid time off. So even had Jacob not needed the life giving juice I would still have trudged downstairs and donated first thing this morning. Though with this pint like the last I am more grateful than normal for donors.
So tell me, how many of you went out and donated since we had this conversation the last time? I am not interested in excuses so please don’t fill my comments section with them. Just ask yourself why you didn’t? Ask yourself why you won’t? And don’t tell yourself you can’t. After all many of you are infertility survivors. Each month you bared your belly, or thigh and poked it with a needle containg Follistim, Ganirelix, HCG and more in the quest to have a baby. Yet when the time comes to spend an hour donating life saving cells the excuses come.
I know I sound judgmental, and perhaps I am but I don’t care. I know on a blog it sounds trivial, and is easily forgotten once you hit send on a comment card. I am also aware that when Jacob received his transfusion that he was well out of the danger zone from which he arrived at the emergency room, but I would love to meet his donor. I would love to know their story. Why did they choose that day to donate? What could they have been doing during that hour when instead they rolled up their sleeve and allowed a vein to be pierced? Do they have children? Were they a first time donor? Do they wonder if their blood is ever used?
1 hour, 1 pint, 1 life saved. In the words of NIKE—Just Do It.
Family Of Two 
Good announcement. I was eligible again on July 14 – but I’m not out of the woods yet (can only donate until I O, not after because the dr told me to presume preg and cannot donate preg) and thus… still in the waiting period. It is on my list of things to do!!
My understanding is that every time you give it can save three lives. I will be giving again as soon as I am able to I think in February. Kudos to you for not only giving regularly but reminding others to give as well.
It all depends Kathy–
There are whole blood donors, which we all are. Those pints are used in ER situations or in situations like Jacob’s where he lost 2 units, and they were replacing whole blood.
They also seperate some into platelets only.
Or they seperate into plasma.
Thus 1 unit 3 lives.
However since you don’t know if your pint is seperated I assume 1 pint 1 life. Unless of course they break you down into pediatric pints…which are 1/2 pints actually.
I am 4 dpo also–if pregnant implantation has yet to occur so I kept my appt.
I last donated in December (got pregnant in January), I was walking through a mall back home and they had a donation site set up. No one was donating. So, I convinced my friend to donate with me and we encouraged others to donate while we sat there smiling and laughing. Others did. I try to remember that when I feel guilty for not donating now.
I love you for this post. LOVE!! I’m a HUGE proponent of blood giving and of registering for the Bone Marrow list. When I first registered with the Bone Marrow registry, I was CALLED!! I went for further testing and it turned out that I wasn’t the best match , but man did it feel good to almost make a huge difference in someone’s life. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to give blood right now because it has taken me two years to get my iron back up to where I need it to be for pregnancy. I was at a 4 (60 is good) while I was giving blood every 56 days. I’m vegetarian, so it’s harder for me to get it to a level that is good.
Every two months I call the Red Cross to find out if they have changed their policies on blood donors, but I am still not eligible to donate blood because I grew up in Europe.
My husband donates blood every other month, though. He works in a hospital, where he can donate any time he’s eligible, so it’s super easy for him, but even when it wasn’t, he would drive way out of his way to donate every time he was eligible.
I donated…double red blood cells to be exact. I’m not eligible again until November I think. I’m told that most women can’t do ALYX because their iron is too low…but I’ve never had an issue. Great PSA!