Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
65,683
34,315


MacRumors is pleased to announce our Eleventh Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2020. Our goal is to save lives by increasing the number of life-saving donations of blood, platelets, and plasma. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide.

blood_drive_2020.jpg

Over the past 10 years, MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 699 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, and celebrated new signups for the organ donor and bone marrow registries. We've heard from people whose lives were saved by these donations, including lives saved by complete strangers.

Donating during the coronavirus pandemic

Circumstances are different this year due to the worldwide pandemic, but the need for blood continues.

To donate, you will likely need to go to a nearby blood donation center because blood donation events (such as community bloodmobile visits) have been canceled. Be assured that donation centers have taken extra precautions to protect donors, including keeping donors separated from each other and doing extra screening.

If you acquired COVID-19 and have fully recovered, you may be eligible to donate plasma for the convalescent plasma trials underway at major blood collection centers. Researchers hope to learn if your plasma contains COVID-19 antibodies that can help seriously ill COVID-19 patients recover.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive - during May 2020

  1. If you are an eligible donor, schedule a blood, platelet, or plasma donation (see FAQ), at any donation center near you. Then post in the MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive! thread to tell us about it. Or tell us if you register as an organ donor and/or register for the bone marrow registry (see FAQ). You'll be put on our Honor Roll.
  2. If you aren't eligible to donate for reasons of age, health, a recent donation, or because you are deferred as a donor, please encourage someone else to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you'll both be put on our Honor Roll. See our Blood donor eligibility thread for news about the deferral policies for gay men.
  3. Share our message with friends, relatives, and followers. Thank the people who post in the MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive! thread.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive - from June 2020 to April 2021

In between the MacRumors Blood Drives each May, record your donations on our Team MacRumors page:
  1. Go to our team page and click PLEDGE TO GIVE BLOOD. (Bookmark the page for the future.)
  2. Fill in your MacRumors username as your first name. Fill in @ macrumors as your last name.
  3. In the comments field, tell us what type of donation and how many units, e.g., 1 unit of whole blood, 2 units of platelets, etc.
  4. The email address and zip code fields don't matter. MacRumors won't use that information.
  5. We'll tally your donations and count them for the MacRumors Blood Drive next May.
We look forward to another successful MacRumors Blood Drive. Thank you to our many donors over the last 10 years!

featured_blood_donor_2020.jpg


Article Link: MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Apple fanboy

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
40,081
8,348
Los Angeles
#MacRumorsBloodDrive

Want to support the Blood Drive with only a few clicks? Just change your forum signature to the following, to help spread the message:

:) [B][COLOR=red]I support the [thread=2233679]MacRumors Blood Drive[/thread]![/COLOR][/B] :)​

And if you donate blood, platelets, or plasma, register as an organ donor, or sign up for the bone marrow registry, please post in the Blood Drive! thread to let us know.
 

FloatingBones

macrumors 68000
Jul 19, 2006
1,506
774
To donate, you will likely need to go to a nearby blood donation center

There's good news and bad news with donation centers. The bad news: you'll probably find that donation centers are booked solid -- no appointments -- for at least a couple of weeks out. You can verify this for your locale by going to the American Red Cross blood donation site and seeing available appointments. Don't just go; If you try donation without an appointment, you'll probably be turned away. The good news: with lower capacities, blood donation centers are almost certainly giving high service to every donation -- you will not have to wait a second anytime in the process for a donation. I can't speak for other blood-donation orgs in the US or blood donation in other countries, but I imagine they have similar circumstances.

US blood donation centers have always had a high priority on sanitization. As a regular donor, I only donate at the Red Cross donation centers. I would highly recommend the Red Cross centers to anyone.

Please join in, and please schedule your next time for an appointment n weeks out in your calendar or to-do list. :)
 

JKAussieSkater

macrumors 6502
Mar 13, 2009
263
392
Tokyo, Japan

This is a quote from the article you cited:
…simply reducing the timeline that determines who should be deferred doesn’t make it better when the underlying reason for the deferral remains the same.

If you are a same sex attracted man (whether you identify as gay, bisexual, or otherwise), I encourage you not to donate blood as a matter of principle — regardless of whether you’ve had sex in the last three months, the past year, the past hour, or ever in your life — until these absurd guidelines are completely done away with. If the people making these rules want our help, they should have to earn it.

As a gay person, I agree with the stance of this article. Readers, please don't misunderstand: I do not oppose the MacRumors Blood Drive. But I do urge MSM to consider their philosophical and ethical compasses on their decision to partake in donating blood with this system.
 
Last edited:

jbachandouris

macrumors 603
Aug 18, 2009
5,928
3,086
Upstate NY
Well, I am eligible to donate on Saturday, but the local Red Cross has no open appointments due to 'social distancing.' I'm pretty sure it will be appointment only for quite some time. I hate this soooo much.
 

FloatingBones

macrumors 68000
Jul 19, 2006
1,506
774
Well, I am eligible to donate on Saturday, but the local Red Cross has no open appointments due to 'social distancing.'

The Red Cross Blood donation site says: All appointment slots for this drive are filled. Please click the Change link above to see more drives, or expand your search criteria. There's no mention of 'social distancing'. I have no idea why any organization would say that.

I'm pretty sure it will be appointment only for quite some time. I hate this soooo much.

Why would you hate it? As of 8 weeks ago, you'd be sitting around in the waiting room. If they still worked that way, there'd be more risk to yourself, other donors, and to their staff. By switching entirely to appointments, donation facilities are ensuring that they will have minimum to no waiting time for donors and minimal exposure for everyone. Win-win!

I looked in Rochester (14607 zip code). They are filled on Saturday, but there are abundant appointments 10 days out. I've seen similar patterns elsewhere. I suggest you adapt to this new normal and just get yourself an appointment.


@bg1419, the article you shared claims, "The FDA has now changed the MSM deferral from 12 months to 3 months in an effort to increase the supply of blood during the COVID-19 pandemic." However, they present no evidence to support this claim; the opposite is true. As several (including me) have noted here, the Red Cross is having 100% of their available appointments filled -- donors must go out 1-2 weeks to find an available appointment.

I know nothing about the details for changing the deferral window for MSM. Anyone actually reading the FDA document will notice that the deferral window has been standardized to 3 months for a variety of activities. The policy-makers think that a standardized window will minimize confusion for donors going through the screening questions. I see absolutely no evidence that this is some reactionary policy change; it casts doubt on everything that "CopyrightBro" is saying on his squarespace blog article. :(
 
Last edited:

reguy3

macrumors newbie
Feb 11, 2008
17
3
San Francisco, CA

This is still dependent on donation centers updating their policies. I have a few friends who tried to donate once the FDA changed their regulations, but the policies of the donation center hadn't yet been updated. The centers also couldn't provide a timeline on when they would be updated.

I was thinking about giving it a shot when I hit the 3-month mark, but reading in this thread about how limited slots are, I think it'd be best to not take up a slot over someone who is more likely to be accepted.
 

ThomasJL

macrumors 68000
Oct 16, 2008
1,762
3,887
Thank you very much to everyone who participates in this blood drive or have donated blood in the past. The person I love the most needed and received blood, and may have died had it not been for generous people like yourselves. I am so grateful for every single one of you.
 
Last edited:

MartyvH

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2017
541
385
After years of Apple drawing blood with pricing I'm happy to finally do it to help people. ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ThomasJL

phroggie

macrumors newbie
Feb 22, 2007
19
3
After being let out of the penalty box (in for 24 apheresis donations in a 52 week, 2 day period) I donated May 7th at ARC Woodland Hills, CA. I'm trying to reschedule for the 21st but their pewter is throwing a tantrum.
 

tarkeybear

macrumors regular
Mar 2, 2006
117
115
Claremont CA


MacRumors is pleased to announce our Eleventh Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2020. Our goal is to save lives by increasing the number of life-saving donations of blood, platelets, and plasma. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide.

blood_drive_2020.jpg

Over the past 10 years, MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 699 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, and celebrated new signups for the organ donor and bone marrow registries. We've heard from people whose lives were saved by these donations, including lives saved by complete strangers.

Donating during the coronavirus pandemic

Circumstances are different this year due to the worldwide pandemic, but the need for blood continues.

To donate, you will likely need to go to a nearby blood donation center because blood donation events (such as community bloodmobile visits) have been canceled. Be assured that donation centers have taken extra precautions to protect donors, including keeping donors separated from each other and doing extra screening.

If you acquired COVID-19 and have fully recovered, you may be eligible to donate plasma for the convalescent plasma trials underway at major blood collection centers. Researchers hope to learn if your plasma contains COVID-19 antibodies that can help seriously ill COVID-19 patients recover.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive - during May 2020

  1. If you are an eligible donor, schedule a blood, platelet, or plasma donation (see FAQ), at any donation center near you. Then post in the MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive! thread to tell us about it. Or tell us if you register as an organ donor and/or register for the bone marrow registry (see FAQ). You'll be put on our Honor Roll.
  2. If you aren't eligible to donate for reasons of age, health, a recent donation, or because you are deferred as a donor, please encourage someone else to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you'll both be put on our Honor Roll. See our Blood donor eligibility thread for news about the deferral policies for gay men.
  3. Share our message with friends, relatives, and followers. Thank the people who post in the MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive! thread.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive - from June 2020 to April 2021

In between the MacRumors Blood Drives each May, record your donations on our Team MacRumors page:
  1. Go to our team page and click PLEDGE TO GIVE BLOOD. (Bookmark the page for the future.)
  2. Fill in your MacRumors username as your first name. Fill in @ macrumors as your last name.
  3. In the comments field, tell us what type of donation and how many units, e.g., 1 unit of whole blood, 2 units of platelets, etc.
  4. The email address and zip code fields don't matter. MacRumors won't use that information.
  5. We'll tally your donations and count them for the MacRumors Blood Drive next May.
We look forward to another successful MacRumors Blood Drive. Thank you to our many donors over the last 10 years!

featured_blood_donor_2020.jpg


Article Link: MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive
Just got done with donating a double of platelets at City of Hope in Duarte CA, Monday 11 May 2020!
 

Attachments

  • PR181293 - 1.jpeg
    PR181293 - 1.jpeg
    332 KB · Views: 211

Timelordprime

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2011
86
62
Toronto
Donation number 375! Break out the Disco Ball! Party like it's the '70s. Two units of platelets. COVID-19 anonymization. Nurses didn’t recognize me.
E427814B-3E76-4C72-9422-C2EB69C30DAF.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Slade Mahoney

macrumors newbie
May 22, 2010
13
9
Definitely true about limited numbers but fast service. I had an appointment last week. When I got there I was told they were full and tried to call me. I made an appointment for earlier in the day today and everything went smoothly.
 

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
40,081
8,348
Los Angeles
MacRumors 2020 Blood Drive Summary

Our annual Blood Drive has ended. We thank the many donors in our community and we offer a special salute to the donors who stepped up to help us publicize the critical need for these acts of charity. See this year's Blood Drive Honor Roll.

If you are a regular donor, please continue the habit. If you are an eligible donor who hasn't donated before, consider making your first donation to save some lives. If you aren't eligible to donate, please support and encourage those who can. You are welcome to read and share our Blood and Platelet Donation and Organ, Tissue, and Bone Marrow Donation Wiki pages.

Statistics

This year's Blood Drive participants donated 128 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, despite the difficulty of getting donation appointments during the pandemic. Since we began holding the annual MacRumors Blood Drive, we've recorded donations of 827 units of blood, platelets, and plasma. We've posted a full tally in the Blood Drive! thread.

Record your donations from June 2020 to April 2021

Every time you donate from now until next year's MacRumors Blood Drive, record your donation with Team MacRumors!

Team-MacRumors-small.jpg
  1. Bookmark the 2021 Team Page, if you didn't already.
  2. Go to the 2021 Team Page.
  3. Click PLEDGE TO GIVE BLOOD.
  4. Fill in your MacRumors username as your first name and @ macrumors as your last name.
  5. In the Comments field, tell us what type of donation and how many units, e.g., 1 unit of whole blood, 2 units of platelets, etc.
  6. The email address and zip code fields don't matter. MacRumors won't use that information.
Your blood, platelet, and plasma donations from now until April 2021 will be tallied for inclusion in the next MacRumors Blood Drive, in May 2021. Thanks!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.