MacRumors 2014 Blood Drive

Davmeister said:

I'm soon to be a Doctor and I am also bi (with a boyfriend of 5 years currently) so I understand more than anyone the risk/benefits. Unfortunately its the way the rules are, even here in the UK you have to be MSM free for 1 year (so I'm still excluded). Either way there is usually nothing stopping you becoming an organ donor or registering for marrow. Hopefully people will rate up my post and see this rather than the usual 'gays can't do it' & consequent gay rights arguments that go back and forth and distract from whats important during each MR blood drive.

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Is there any scientific reason for this or is it a pointless to refuse blood? Also I remeber reading on the NHS website saying that there was no chance of HIV transmission because the white cells are taken out - no idea why it stops it being an ICT student - again I'm confused!
I wish I could donate blood though as all my organs are going go be donated!

I'll donate blood if you donate me a retina iPad.

I am not eligible again until May 29th. I donate every 54 days or so and I'm up to 6 gallons. I donated a lot when I lived in NJ, but I lost track of how much.

I feel like I must contribute to society and this is one way.

Gave last month and can't give again till June 14th...sorry.
But I am a bone marrow registered donor (haven't been called).

Listen, they get most of what they need from blood and donors don't typically have any painful procedure-and if you're saving a life who gives a crap if its painful-BUT NOW ITS NOT.

Maybe dates will line up next year.

Not sure why there is all the hate for this thread.
I say good on you MR for pushing this worthy cause.
Would give blood if I was able to, but sadly I can't due to health reasons.
I am a registered organ donor though.
Well done for those who can save lives through giving blood.

I donated blood today for the first time. Wanted to do it for a very long time and I had a day off today so I went in. I also registered here (been lurking for years). All the best.

bighype said:

I donated blood today for the first time. Wanted to do it for a very long time and I had a day off today so I went in. I also registered here (been lurking for years). All the best.

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Well done! Welcome to the forum!

I really must let the National Blood Service know I've moved so I start getting my reminders sent to me.

(ooo, wonder if there's an online thing these days? Must go and check...)

Have given about 30 times. In my old borough I got pretty well known as being 'good with needles' so got the trainee nurse nine times out of ten. I once had to ask the nurse to stop and relax for a bit ... she was shaking as she picked up the needle. On the bad side, I do have some pretty prominent scars in my elbow crease from a few bad stabs

Anyway, thanks to everyone that does this. And for me, I do mean everyone - I'm type AB+, the Universal Recipient. Unfortunately, my blood's only good for other AB+'ers (~3% of the world) so isn't especially useful since we can have anyone's.

I'm excluded for having spent a summer in the UK and Ireland in the early '90s. That's it.

Maybe if the RC was a more science-based organization, they'd understand how ludicrous that scenario is. Not a single case of BSE has ever been shown to be transmitted via blood or platelet transfusion, and after 20+ years you'd be sure it would have been sussed out. But there it is. So I don't support the RC in any way, shape, or form. And least ways, not any of their blood drives.

distemp said:

I tried to be. I'm gay. They didn't want my bone marrow so they don't get it.

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Exactly this. I will never donate blood or anything until they change their antiquated system.

John.B said:

I'm excluded for having spent a summer in the UK and Ireland in the early '90s. That's it.

Maybe if the RC was a more science-based organization, they'd understand how ludicrous that scenario is. Not a single case of BSE has ever been shown to be transmitted via blood or platelet transfusion, and after 20+ years you'd be sure it would have been sussed out. But there it is. So I don't support the RC in any way, shape, or form. And least ways, not any of their blood drives.

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Being a UK'er myself, I remember the BSE shenanigans well. Unfortunately, transfusion does appear to be a vector for vCJD infection (see here, for example)

For me, this falls definitively into my 'better safe than sorry' box. Contracting a disease via an otherwise life-saving transfusion must be absolutely heart-breaking.

Having said that, I do wonder if (especially in cases like yours, where potential exposure was extremely limited) restrictions could be lessened, perhaps even only using components of blood rather than whole.


Anyway, I was wondering -- are all blood donations handled by the Red Cross in the US (which seems strange, as they're a charity), or are there state or federal organisations which also run a transfusion service?

Here in the UK it's all quite simple - there's the National Blood and Transplant Service for all possible donations (blood, organ, bone marrow, platelets, tissue and stem cell donations). You book your donation online and turn up when ready. Stem cell and marrow donations are different -- your types are put on a register and if/when a patient matches your type you get a call and are asked to donate. Never had that call myself, but if it comes I'll be there (albeit dreading the operation - marrow extraction is apparently rather painful!).

distemp said:

I tried to be. I'm gay. They didn't want my bone marrow so they don't get it.

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Most of the marrow registry organizations follow the FDA guidelines on blood and tissue donation. The fact that you wanted to but weren't allowed says a great deal about you...perhaps one day you can.

keterboy said:

Funny, just yesterday we saw a documentary by ARTE about how big pharma companies and hospitals make billions on your so called blood "donations"... Unfortunately there will always be someone making money on our generosities. It definitely helps patients in need, but it sure helps some people get richer than they already are.

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Meanwhile, people do need these blood products. Crossing your arms in some kind of ethical protest against people making money isn't going to improve the situation.

John.B said:

I'm excluded for having spent a summer in the UK and Ireland in the early '90s. That's it.

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Yup, no blood donations from me either because of my UK residency and I haven't eaten cow in 25 years.

keterboy said:

Funny, just yesterday we saw a documentary by ARTE about how big pharma companies and hospitals make billions on your so called blood "donations"... Unfortunately there will always be someone making money on our generosities. It definitely helps patients in need, but it sure helps some people get richer than they already are.

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That said, billions await whoever comes up with a way to manufacture artificial blood that works with all blood types, thereby rendering blood drives unnecessary. The profit motive is surely driving development of this.

DudeDad said:

Most of the marrow registry organizations follow the FDA guidelines on blood and tissue donation. The fact that you wanted to but weren't allowed says a great deal about you...perhaps one day you can.

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What are you getting at? That he should change his orientation so someone else will recognize him as a candidate to donate blood? If that is what you're saying I hope they kick you off this site permanently.

The Blood industry

I'd like to link you all to Radiolab's podcast on the blood industry. It's quite eye-opening:

http://www.radiolab.org/story/308403-blood/

If you ever wonder why you pay an arm and a leg for receiving blood when you need it, it's due to the expenses involved in purchasing blood from these blood organizations - including the Red Cross. I believe it's something around $300 - $400 for a pint. I used to believe that by donating my blood, hospitals would get it for free. Sadly, that is not the case. These blood banks make a TON of money selling the blood you donate to the hospitals.

Of course, I'm not trying to tell any of you here to not donate, but do so with knowledge of the fact that you're not necessarily handing it to people who need it for free.

Severian126 said:

I'd like to link you all to Radiolab's podcast on the blood industry. It's quite eye-opening:

http://www.radiolab.org/story/308403-blood/

If you ever wonder why you pay an arm and a leg for receiving blood when you need it, it's due to the expenses involved in purchasing blood from these blood organizations - including the Red Cross. I believe it's something around $300 - $400 for a pint. I used to believe that by donating my blood, hospitals would get it for free. Sadly, that is not the case. These blood banks make a TON of money selling the blood you donate to the hospitals.

Of course, I'm not trying to tell any of you here to not donate, but do so with knowledge of the fact that you're not necessarily handing it to people who need it for free.

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Do you really think there isn't a mountain of cost getting blood from your arm to a recipient's arm? The Red Cross is a non-profit organization, BTW.

Well that's handy! My next donation is booked in for the 29th!

TantalizedMind said:

What are you getting at? That he should change his orientation so someone else will recognize him as a candidate to donate blood? If that is what you're saying I hope they kick you off this site permanently.

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Not at all. I was pointing how the marrow programs base their criteria (on FDA guidelines) and was hoping that one day the guidelines will be more inclusive, allowing those excluded to participate in this important program. I don't believe people choose their orientation, and even if it was a choice, who am I to tell someone to change? I try not to judge anyone, let alone someone because of his or her orientation. My comment about wanting to participate says a lot about the poster was meant as a compliment -- that the poster wanted to be on the registry. As you can imagine, I've been involved in getting people on the registries for a long time, especially in the minority communities that are terribly underrepresented in the registries (higher chances of matching someone with your ethnic background) Oh, and I'm straight and am a strong supporter of gay rights. I'm sorry if you read my post wrong, it was not intended to offend.

Doctor Q said:

Good for you. One of the bone marrow registration drives that I helped organize (other than the one at MacRumors) produced an immediate match for someone who had been looking for a stem cell donor. Sometimes cultural factors prevent people from signing up, but I think the biggest reason is simple: that people haven't heard much about the bone marrow registry and don't understand the need and how easy it is to sign up.

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Nice - If you are interested, I'd be happy to share the letter my recipient sent me a year after the donation. It's beyond inspiring. I share it often, hoping it will inspire just one more person to get on the registry. If you want it (and you can even post it), inbox an email address where I can send you a scan.

If I ever need blood I will request gay blood

DudeDad said:

Not at all. I was pointing how the marrow programs base their criteria (on FDA guidelines) and was hoping that one day the guidelines will be more inclusive, allowing those excluded to participate in this important program. I don't believe people choose their orientation, and even if it was a choice, who am I to tell someone to change? I try not to judge anyone, let alone someone because of his or her orientation. My comment about wanting to participate says a lot about the poster was meant as a compliment -- that the poster wanted to be on the registry. As you can imagine, I've been involved in getting people on the registries for a long time, especially in the minority communities that are terribly underrepresented in the registries (higher chances of matching someone with your ethnic background) Oh, and I'm straight and am a strong supporter of gay rights. I'm sorry if you read my post wrong, it was not intended to offend.

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Thanks for your efforts to populate the registry. Regarding who's eligible and who isn't, I think we have to trust the many good people at the FDA and Red Cross to sort those things out. It's their job to do that, not ours.

BTW, my son participated in a marrow registry screening a year ago. Recently, he was identified as a match for someone in need and is going through the procedure in about two weeks.