<p>That's settled. I just scheduled my blood donation for Thursday at 2:30. I've donated once before in October, and I've been wanting to do it since. My dad's a blood bank technician, so I'm well aware of the need.</p>
<p>This is me encouraging all of you to donate at least once this year if you're eligible.</p>
<p>I go donate if there is not a line. I refuse to wait 3 hours in a hot ass auditorium for anything. :)</p>
<p>That's what appointments are for.</p>
<p>I'm underweight for donating so I just organize them.</p>
<p>One of the blood center guys told me that the sooner you get people to donate (that is, start 'em early) the more likely they'll continuing doing it in the future. </p>
<p>Target the young now. High schools are hotspots.</p>
<p>Exactly, I got started on the cause by donating at my school's blood drive last year.</p>
<p>The stat is that less than 30% of people who donate once will ever donate again. </p>
<p>I think I may go in for a platelet donation next week (you can do it 72 hours after donating whole blood.)</p>
<p>Man</a> donates blood for record 350th time
<p>The South African National Blood Service said in a statement that 79-year-old Maurice Creswick had cracked his own record for the fourteenth time and that he donated 480 ml of his blood every 56 days.</p>
<p>"When I was 11-years-old I witnessed a horrific accident when a tram smashed into a motor vehicle," Creswick was quoted as saying.</p>
<p>"Five passengers were critically injured. I decided then to never just stand by and do nothing if there was a way to help others in a time of need," he said.</p>
<p>South Africa has some of the world's most dangerous roads and sky-high rates of violent crime.
</p>
<p>what's a platelet donation? What's a platelet?</p>
<p>And are you going to the hospital to donate blood?
I can't find any blood banks around here so I think i might have to ring up a hospital.. would that be weird?</p>
<p>I was asking my friends if they want to do it with me.. and this is the response I got..
"I would like to keep my own blood in my own body thank you very much".
and I said, "well, only 15min of your time can save 3 people's lives"
and they said, "Well, they shouldn't have lost thier blood in the first place".
And now, I see them as selfish, inconsiderate pricks.</p>
<p>When he was in college, my cousin used to give plasma to the university hospital once a week, for $50. Easy way to get cash, he figured. (It was fun teasing him, though--saying he was selling his body, etc.)</p>
<p>I donated blood once at school and ended up with a huge bruise on my arm that was like 6 inches in diameter. On the same day, one of my classmates threw up and fainted while they were taking his blood...</p>
<p>To avoid the bruises, you just have to press tight on the spot for a few minutes allowing it to heal.</p>
<p>NoFX, just go to <a href="http://www.givelife.org%5B/url%5D">www.givelife.org</a>, fill out your information, and the site will give you a list of places you can go donate.</p>
<p>It's not a hospital. Most hospitals around here don't have donor centers (except the military ones). I just picked the place off the list and chose my time.</p>
<p>Platelet donation is where you only donate a small portion of your blood, the platelets, that deal with blood clotting. You basically donate whole blood, and then the doctors separate the platelets and then you get the rest of your blood back. You can do that up to 24 times a year. It's needed more - donated platelets only last 5 days.</p>
<p>OT - would writing about my experience donating blood be a good essay for the common app? It just hit me last night that it's a possibility.</p>
<p>I gave blood for the first time three days after my 17th birthday, and it wasn't the best experience. The lady said my veins were really small, so she had to dig around to get the needle in a good spot. uuhhgggg. I didn't let that one bad time deter me from giving blood as often as possible, though. The pain only lasts for a minute, so it doesn't override the feeling of satisfaction I feel after donating.</p>
<p>
[quote]
When he was in college, my cousin used to give plasma to the university hospital once a week, for $50. Easy way to get cash, he figured. (It was fun teasing him, though--saying he was selling his body, etc.)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Selling plasma is about as broke as you can get. :)</p>
<p>Ok well I live in New zealand so that website wasnt much of a help but thanks anyway. I found a nz blood bank website!
But some of the centres say: Whole blood only. and some say: whole blood and apheresis.</p>
<p>Whole blood as in platelets? what's apheresis?</p>
<p>I signed up for August 10th !! I know it's a bit far away but it's the best i could do..</p>
<p>But i'm still interested in my above question..</p>
<p>WIth the bruise thing, I remember my friend, she was sitting next to me and her nurse person couldn't find her vein or somthing. So she prodded the needle into one arm, and the other. At the end, they couldn't find the vein. So she ended up with 2 big bruises on both arms lol. I thought I was going to throw up at the time because I was really nervous and fidgety cos it was my first time.. I'm so glad my veins as big enough!</p>
<p>Whole blood only means that they just do the normal blood donation. You know, needle in arm, blood in a bag. Apheresis is the process by which you donate platelets. You do the normal thing, they separate the part they want (platelets), and then you get your blood back in your arm. That takes 2 hours.</p>
<p>I signed up for early because I don't want to make the mistake of donating during cross country season again. I donated a pint of blood three hours before I had a 5K race. Lol, wasn't pleasant. I ran a whole two and a half minutes off my usual time.</p>
<p>How old do you have to be to donate blood?</p>
<p>At least 17 and over 110 lbs with no tattoos</p>
<p>17 with parental permission, 18 on your own.</p>
<p>I did it for the first time this year, at my high school, and was glad I did. both to get over my stupid fear of needles and because it's a good thing to do. I was literally shaking until I had a needle in my arm.</p>
<p>you have to be a certain height and weight for the platelet procedure though. I think girls have to be 5'5" or something. either way I was too short for it. (kinda glad too... sorry, it still freaks me out)</p>
<p>I also gave blood for the first time at my high school. I had to wait for a couple of hours, but it was well worth it. I was terrified that they would reject me for some reason (a girl got turned away b/c of a low iron level), but everything went smoothly, and I felt pretty happy afterwards.</p>