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Will be donating Tuesday. Already had the appointment booked with NHSB&T

This will be donation 32.
 
Platelet plasma donor

I donated two units of platelets on Friday, May 9th.

It was too soon since my last donation to give plasma also. I've donated 6 units of platelets and 4 units plasma so far this year, been doing this for over 25 years.

In the past, I've made up to 11 donation in one year...and I have the scars to prove it!

The hospitals where I live perform a lot of organ transplantation and those people often require of blood products; liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, lung.

I also got one of my friends to go in and donate RBC again!
 

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Every year, June 14 is World Blood Donor Day.

Because blood donated by voluntary unpaid donors has proven to be the safest, there is an ongoing international goal to have 100% of the blood supply come from these volunteers - like you! The percentage of countries that have reached this goal is close to 50%. See the Melbourne Declaration for the World Health Organization's statement of this goal.

Did you ever wonder how a single blood donation can save multiple lives? 97% of donated blood in the U.S. and other high-income countries is separated into its components. The resulting red cells, platelets, and plasma can be used separately. The process is called fractionation. In low-income countries less than 50% of blood is separated this way, but each donation can still save at least one life.
 
What happens to blood after you donate

This video explains how they process donated blood, including how they separate the components. I'm a little puzzled why it says they test blood for cholesterol levels. I'm guessing that it's not related to use of the donated blood, but instead it's just a service to the donors to let them know their if their cholesterol level is OK.

 
It's a holiday weekend in the U.S., but sick or injured people don't get a day off from needing blood and platelets.

A long weekend and a day off from work can provide the spare hour you need to make a blood donation! :)
 
The MacRumors Blood Drive will run for a few more days. Participate if you can. Even if you miss the month of May, we encourage everyone who is eligible to donate in June, July, and beyond, to register as an organ donor, and to register as a bone marrow donor.

We'll wrap up the MacRumors Blood Drive on June 1 but feel free to post about your donations in the blood drive thread now or anytime in the future.
 
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May is over so the MacRumors 2014 Blood Drive has ended, but the need for blood and platelets continues. We choose one month each year to call attention to donations, but there are people in need every day of the year. Please continue to donate.

Congratulations to the participants in this year's Blood Drive, who donated 43 units of blood and platelets. Since we began holding the annual MacRumors Blood Drive we've recorded donations of 155 units of blood, 99 units of platelets, and 3 units of plasma, making a four-year total of 257 units! See our summary post for other statistics.

We know there are many anonymous donors in our community, and we thank them, but we offer a special salute the donors who stepped up to help us publicize the critical need for these acts of charity. See the Blood Drive Honor Roll for a list of this year's donors.

If you are a regular donor, please continue to look for opportunities to donate. If you are an eligible donor who hasn't donated before, consider making your first donation and saving a life. If you aren't eligible to donate, please support and encourage those who can. You are welcome to read and share our information pages:
Thank you!
 
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