MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive

[MacRumors]

MacRumors is pleased to announce our Sixteenth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2025. Let's save lives together by encouraging donations of blood, platelets, and plasma, and signing up as bone marrow and organ donors. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide. Anyone can participate.

Over the past 15 years, MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 1,565 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, cheered for donors, and celebrated new signups for the bone marrow and organ donor registries. We've heard from hundreds of forum members who donate or whose lives were saved by the donations of strangers.

This year's featured donor is user Linda+, who donates platelets every 2 or 3 weeks. Whether you're a regular donor like Linda+ or someone overcoming apprehension to donate for the very first time, we congratulate you.

How to participate in the MacRumors Blood Drive

1. If you are an eligible donor, schedule a blood, platelet, or plasma donation (FAQ) at any donation center near you. Post in the MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive! thread (not our news thread) to tell us about it. Also post if you sign up for the bone marrow registry (FAQ) or register as an organ donor. We'll add all registrants to our Honor Roll.
2. If you aren't eligible to donate blood, such as for medical reasons, please encourage a friend or relative to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you'll both be added to our Honor Roll. Note that monogamous donors of any sexual orientation are now permitted to donate blood in the U.S., U.K., and Canada.
3. Share our #MacRumorsBloodDrive message with friends, relatives, and followers. Help us thank the forum members who post in the MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive! thread.

After the MacRumors Blood Drive ends on May 31, continue recording your blood, platelet, and plasma donations, from June 2025 through next April 2026, on our Team MacRumors 2025-2026 page (instructions). We'll tally your donations and count them for the MacRumors 2026 Blood Drive next May.

Article Link: MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

I tried to give two weeks ago.

The volunteer picked the wrong vein, stabbed me badly into my muscle and the donation was aborted after about 20% in. Since they do the test tubes at the end and didn’t even my partial is wasted.

I had two bruises in my arm afterwards. One wasn’t even close to the puncture site so it was clear she messed up.


They apologized and I said it happens. I got my $15 for Amazon anyway later.

I’ll try again in 6 weeks.

 

[antiprotest]

I see it's that time of the year again when I give my PSA:

Make sure you read the article and follow the procedure. Apparently, you are not supposed to send your blood to the MR office. They don't want your blood themselves. They just want to know that you gave blood.

 

[CyberDavis]

I’m in the UK and donate plasma, and have my next appointment booked for 5th May.
I’d encourage anyone who is able to donate if at all possible.
Blood, platelets and plasma can make a real difference to someone’s life.
😀👍🩸

 

[jouster]

Just gave in April so I’m out until early June. Oh well.

 

[Doctor Q]

Any donations of blood, platelets, or plasma made June 1, 2024 or later (and not already reported on the MacRumors Team Page) will be tallied in this year's Blood Drive if you post in the MacRumors 2025 Blood Drive! thread to say what you donated and when.

We want to recognize donors whether or not their donation happened to fall in the month of May.

 

[danny842003]

I try to donate every 2 weeks in Aus. I’m up to 46 since they lifted the ‘mad cow’ ban on people who lived in the UK prior to 96.

 

[Timpetus]

I work at a hospital, so I have donated every 6 weeks religiously ever since I started here. My next whole blood donation is scheduled for 5/21, so it happens to fall in the month of May!

 

[newyorksole]

I tried to donate last week and couldn’t because I’m on PREP. sigh.

 

[Doctor Q]

.

I tried to donate last week and couldn’t because I’m on PREP. sigh.

That's too bad, but it was generous of you to try.

For those who don't know, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective treatment to prevent certain infections. However, it isn't 100% effective, and when it's not, i.e., if an infection does occur, the medicine can mask the infection, leading to a false negative blood test. In other words, routine blood testing won't detect an infection that could be harmful to the blood recipient. For that reason, people taking PrEP may be perfectly healthy and have safe blood, but testing can't verify that fact. As a result, they are deferred from donating until they've been off oral PrEP for 3 months or injectable PrEP for 2 years, because that's the time it has been found to take for the masking effect to dissipate.