I am not a big fan of the Red Cross.
I am a tremendous fan of the Red Cross Blood Donation Program. My wife is one of those who have cards for donating regularly for twenty, maybe thirty years. I was a sporadic donor until I learned about Platelet Donation. I never have to make an appointment, they call me. Unlike whole blood you can give every few weeks. I get calls that almost always begin with, “Mr. Cramer we have a desperate need for AB+ at Children’s Hospital. Can you come in….”
These two men are platelet donors.
Here is some information about platelet donation:
“During a platelet donation, a small portion of your blood (about 1/4 pint at a time), is drawn from your arm and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine. The machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back to you. After the donation you can resume your normal activities, avoiding heavy lifting or strenuous exercise that day.
A single platelet donation can provide enough platelets for a full therapeutic dose for a patient in need. In fact, some platelet donations yield enough platelets for two or three therapeutic doses. By contrast, it takes four to six whole blood donations to produce a single therapeutic dose.
Many patients who need platelets are undergoing chemotherapy or organ transplant and have weakened immune systems. A platelet dose from a single donor reduces the patient’s exposure to multiple donors and is therefore preferred by many physicians.
One platelet donation can be worth from 12 to 18 whole blood donations.”
Here is a link to the Red Cross – http://goo.gl/VQgV2
Think about donating. Ask about donating platelets.
If you decide to donate platelets, they will test you. If you qualify, plan on spending three hours or more. They have Netflix so you can watch the movie of your choice.
You have provided a great public service by sharing this information. I happen to have type O, Rh negative blood, so I’m the universal donor. I used to give blood regularly but I’m slightly anemic and haven’t been able to give for a while. Time to have it checked again.
I stopped giving blood when I got sick from doing so more than 20 years ago. Seemed like a convenient excuse. Now you’ve let me know it’s time to reevaluate. I just looked it up. Here’s the Pleasanton Blood Donation address: 5556-B Springdale Avenue, Pleasanton, CA 94588. Phone 1-800-RED CROSS(1-800-733-2767)