So proud -- I donated blood

I have never been able to donate before because my iron was too low for their standards (with the Red Cross you must be at 38 and I was always at 36 or 37).

Well, today I was a-okay and for the first time ever I donated blood!   YAY! 

Good for you, Sarah! After an absence of many years, I make it a point to go a few times a year. It may by psychological, but I feel better afterwards. And, hey, a pint's a pound -- one way to lose a little weight, at least for a few hours.

Congrats, Sarah.  I also donate a few times each year.  Here they have a longer process that doubles your donation, and you have to wait longer before the next donation.  But it is a marvelous way to help the community. 

Karen

Congratulations, Sarah -- I know how you feel!  I only recently started giving blood within the last couple of years.  Greg and I started a Valentine's Day tradition - we make an appointment and give blood that day -- seems like a really nice way to say I love you to the rest of the world.   (We also go again whenever they call us, usually a couple of times per year; they call him a lot -- they love his O+ blood.  For some reason they don't seem to want or need my AB+ as much.  Or maybe the head vampire -- er -- phlebotomist -- just has a thing for Greg.  I could understand that.

Cindi

Neat-O Sarah!

I used to donate platelets to the Red Cross.  I have AB- which is kinda/sorta rare.  Then, I developed asthma and they won't take it any longer.

I'm on a list for bone marrow donation as well.  That's when Red Cross called me for the platelet donation.  I thought they were calling me for bone marrow donation, but it wasn't.  It was the platelets.

Lillian

Lillian:

You actually have the rarest blood type with only 1 in 167 persons having it.  I'm AB+ so I'm right there with you, as the third rarest (1 in 29 persons have AB+, while B- is second rarest with one in 67 persons having it.  When I was in school and lived in Gainesville I was on a special call list for Shands Teaching Hospital.  I was anemic and couldn't always donate so they "saved me up."  I've donated so much over the years, though, that they told me to stop about two years ago.  My veins have so much scarring, it's getting hard to get a good stick and they told me I should save those sticks for medical reasons.    BUT I made it darned close to the gallon club before I had to quit

I do know that I have the "universal" blood type of O+.  

I want to get on the Bone Marrow Registry and will be looking into it.  I did my first marathon last year with Team In Training, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Being a part of this organization truly touches your heart and makes you so aware of the difference just one person can make. 

I was a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish foundation here in PA which is how I got interested in the bone marrow donation idea.  

Lillian

Laurel Eiler:

Lillian:

You actually have the rarest blood type with only 1 in 167 persons having it.  I'm AB+ so I'm right there with you, as the third rarest (1 in 29 persons have AB+, while B- is second rarest with one in 67 persons having it.  When I was in school and lived in Gainesville I was on a special call list for Shands Teaching Hospital.  I was anemic and couldn't always donate so they "saved me up."  I've donated so much over the years, though, that they told me to stop about two years ago.  My veins have so much scarring, it's getting hard to get a good stick and they told me I should save those sticks for medical reasons.    BUT I made it darned close to the gallon club before I had to quit

Laurel,

I didn't realize it was that rare!  And I also didn't realize you can have vein scarring.

I wouldn't be a good candidate today.  I went into a vaso valgus (sp?) reaction when I was getting IV for my shoulder surgery!  Fainted right there on the table.  And this was BEFORE I even got into the OR!  Ha!!!  What a wimp I am.

Lillian

Hey, Sarah.

I started donating when my dad was ill and had to have surgery and needed blood.  I realized how important the blood donations are, so I've been donating ever since.  Usually a few times a year since my iron tends to be borderline.  Hard to believe it's been 16 years since he died.  FWIW, eat high-iron foods before donating and you should be good to go.

Lil, I used to volunteer for Make-A-Wishe here in Az.  When we went to a criminal calendar, I just didn't have time any more.  It's been a few years.  Still have some good friends that I met through Make-A-Wish, tho.

Sarah,

This is so funny.  I just got my National Marrow Donor program ID card in the mail today.  And then, boom, people are talking about it.

I had to stop donating blood because I had melanoma a few years ago (I'm perfectly fine now).  However, they won't accept blood donations from me any longer.  But the Bone Marrow people will.  I tested about two months ago (filling out a form and they swabbed my cheek), and I've passed the screening.  The outside top age for a donor is 61.  And I can't remember what the bottom age exclusion number is, probably 18.

On my info sheet they have the registry website.  It's marrow.org/join. 

I'd sure like anyone who's interested to check it out. 

Deb

Still have some good friends that I met through Make-A-Wish, tho.

Same here, Trish. 

What were some of your kids' wishes?  We had the usual Disneyworld, cruise and computer wishes.  Some of the unusual ones were meeting Travis Tritt (sp?)  meeting Snoop Dog, meeting one of the WWF wrestlers, swimming with the dolphins in Hawaii, meeting Barney the Purple dinosaur (I was Barney dressed in the costume.  went to the child's home.)  Once I was Barney's sidekick Beebop???  dressed up as that and went in a limo, picked the family up and then went to a KidsGymboree or some such place. 

You're right, though.  It was very time consuming and my own son was growing and keeping me so busy.  But it was because of his being so healthy that I wanted to give back something to the sick children.

Life's not fair.

lil

Thank you, Deb!  I was going to post and ask if anyone could confirm that www.marrow.org was the correct site.  I see that there is a $52 charge in order to receive the swab/testing kit.  I will have to wait until Friday (payday), but I definitely plan on signing up!

Hey, Lil.

We had the common Disneyworld, cruise, and computer wishes, too.  One wanted a horse (can't remember if that was approved or not.  I wasn't on that team).  We had some travel wishes, some meet-a-celebrity wishes and some shopping-spree wishes.  I tended to work w/ the older kids rather than the real young ones.  There was one kid who wanted to go to the Super Bowl.  And there were small kids that had the Barney parties and things like that.   In addition to being on the wish granting committee, I was also on the Wish BAll committee.  That was fun, too. 

Hey, Lil, I'm AB- too.  No wonder I love you so much