S/O: Do you donate blood?

[Penny's Pappa]

My Dad was a frequent blood donor when I was a kid. He has a rare blood type (AB-) and before he had health problems he felt it was his duty to donate. When I was a little kid and I asked Dad why he donated blood, he told me that it was just something you do, like voting or giving to charity. So that's the attitude I grew up with.

That's awesome.

[smiles33]

yes, i have - though not regularly b/c i am off-n-on anemic

It doesn't hurt me more than a momentary pinch. However, if you have a bad phlebotomist (sp?), like I did once, you might end up with an ugly bruise there and multiple pokes if s/he can't find a vein.

[bubbaray]

I did a couple of months ago (through work), prior to that I hadn't in years.

I didn't think it hurt any more than a blood draw for a blood test.

HTH

[baileygirl]

At my old job, they had people come in to do blood donations, so I would do it everytime they were there (which was probably 4xs a year). I had to stop because they banned blood donations from anyone who had lived in England during a certain time. I have no idea if this has been lifted or not. To pp point of the telephone calls, I had a hard time getting them to stop calling me to donate (even though I wasn't able to).

[AnnieW625]

nope horribly afraid of needles

[♥ms.pacman♥]

yes, though i haven't done it in awhile due to pregnancy, caring for baby etc. i have extremely low blood pressure (90/50 sometimes) yet i still don't really have problems donating, as long as i stuff myself with cookies/juice right afterwards the only thing is once i do it, i can't really do it again within the 10 weeks because otherwise i will become anemic

imo, donating blood doesnt really hurt that much at all. i think most ppl's issue with it is the fear of needles rather than the pain. for me, i really don't like seeing blood but i just turn away when they stick the needle in

[Ceepa]

This is an excellent reminder for all of us. It should be viewed as more than a civic duty, more like an act of humanity.

I hate needles a lot, but when pregnant I was stuck plenty.

Here are some links that may help people looking to donate. Please feel free to add any you may have or edit if you have some feedback.

OrganDonor.gov - find information by state for becoming an organ/tissue donor
http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/index.htm

National Marrow Donor Program*
http://www.marrow.org/

*there is also a page for information on donating umbilical cord blood
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Co...ife/index.html

American Red Cross - find a blood drive near you
http://www.redcrossblood.org/

Another:
Platelet Donation information
http://www1.givebloodgivelife.org/do...pes/platelets/

[mama2g03]

When I am not pregnant and can pass the hemoglobin test I donate platelets. I feel like I should because I am in that percentage of the population that does not have antibodies to CMV (Cytomegalovirus) and they use those platelets for infants and immunocompromised recipients. It takes about an hour and a half and my skinny veins set off the darn alarms so they have to slow the pump down but I feel like it's something small I can do to help out. Needles don't bother me in the least.

[JoyNChrist]

I used to do so pretty frequently (every 8 weeks or so).

The past year has been filled with lots of personal medical tests and procedures, so I kind of slacked off...just didn't want to deal with any more needles. And now I'm pregnant. But I definitely plan to go back regularly after I have the babies.

I too view it as a civic duty - like voting, volunteering, donating, being an organ donor...something that doesn't really hurt me and can help a whole lot of people. Those are the kinds of values I want to instill in my child, so I try to model them as best I can.

[catroddick]

Yep- every eight weeks since January 2003, with the exception of taking a year off to have DD.

My reason may seem silly. In December of 2002, my amazing dog Osa was diagnosed with liver cancer and had to get a couple transfusions while we determined what could be done. Having worked for years in a vet hospital, I knew how rare it was to have a donor dog on site, and was so thankful that option was available for us. It only bought us a few extra days, but it was enough time to know that we were making the best decisions for her.

After I lost my beautiful, special dog, it occurred to me that I could donate and make that kind of difference for people- to help someone’s child, parent, spouse.

So I do it for Osa. And to thank the universe for giving me such a wonderful companion that helped raise me and make me a better person.