Well, what do you think the new iPhone is made out of?
I'm blaming you when they don't have enough new phones in stock on launch day.
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MacRumors Blood Drive
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Well, what do you think the new iPhone is made out of?
I'm blaming you when they don't have enough new phones in stock on launch day.
That's all well and good, but I don't want to have to abstain for a year just to donate blood. Maybe one day the FDA will just accept that not all gays have HIV.
Meh. I spent a summer in England and Ireland in the early 90's, so the Red Cross says I'm not suitable to be a blood donor. Never mind that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has never been shown to be transmitted through blood transfusion, or that the intervening almost twenty years should've cropped up some symptoms by now. Pseudo science at its worst. Sorry MR, but I could give a rats arse to help the Red Cross.
This is great. Please give blood if you can.
My son just celebrated his 9th birthday - coming up on 9 years since he was diagnosed with leukemia. He went through quite a lot of blood products, so I can assure you that the donations are necessary and helpful.
While you're in the blood-giving mood (I hope), consider becoming a bone marrow donor. Registering is completely painless (a swab of the cheek), I'm told that donation is fairly painful. However, your marrow regenerates, and you will have saved a life.
www.marrow.org/
My son just celebrated his 9th birthday - coming up on 9 years since he was diagnosed with leukemia. He went through quite a lot of blood products, so I can assure you that the donations are necessary and helpful.
While you're in the blood-giving mood (I hope), consider becoming a bone marrow donor. Registering is completely painless (a swab of the cheek), I'm told that donation is fairly painful. However, your marrow regenerates, and you will have saved a life.
www.marrow.org/
Some people are ineligible to give based on age or health or other factors, and those folks can simply pass the word along to someone else. Most people want to give, they just do not have occasion to think about it or know where specifically to go. Let someone know.
Rocketman
Rocketman
The Red Cross gives tips about fear of needles, but I don't exactly agree with them. I don't think you can "get over it." But like many people who cringe at seeing a needle coming at them, I "get past it" by looking away and distracting myself and remembering why I'm there. And I've found that the nurses at donor centers are often specialists who are more talented than typical nurses at this one task.I lol'd.
I'm severely needle-phobic, kudos to those who are able to donate. Thanks in advance if I ever need a transfusion
Here's a little test: Pinch the skin of your own inner arm. Did it hurt for a split second? Yes, and that pinch was worse than most people will feel when donating blood.
The benefits of donating blood include:
- Helping other people and the chance to save lives.
- How good you'll feel about yourself.
- The appreciation of the community, including ours.
- A break from work (some employers offer paid time off for a donation).
- Free blood pressure and hemoglobin check. Some centers will even check your cholesterol for you.
- Free snacks and juice.
- Some centers give you an attractive sticker!
- About an hour of your time. The actual blood draw is only 5 to 10 minutes. The rest is for the screening interview beforehand and relaxing afterwards.
- One second for the scary part (needle insertion).
- For most people, no ill effects at all or, for some, feeling lightheaded for a few minutes afterwards until you have your rest and snack.
I'm glad you mentioned Be The Match (the National Marrow Donor Program). They need all the registrants they can get, especially from minority groups. Here is where Americans can send in for a cheek swab kit. The registry is used to help patients find matches who can donate stem cells, which is much like donating blood. See their FAQ.
Here's an easy way to spread the word. Put this line in your forum signature:
:) [color=red]I support the [thread=907650]MacRumors Blood Drive[/thread]![/color] :)
It'll come out as follows:
Yes that was my mistake. I meant to refer to BSE, and the 750,000 infected cows that entailed.
Original Post quotes:
"Our goal is to increase the number of blood donations by people in the Mac community."
Do 'Mac-people' have some sort of special blood?
"Our goal is to increase the number of blood donations by people in the Mac community."
Do 'Mac-people' have some sort of special blood?
No worries. As I said above, the Red Cross and others seem to identify the period as sometime between 1980 and 1996.
It's a shame I can't donate, but I wholeheartedly support this drive. So many people's lives are made better by just a single donation.
And many thanks to boringName. I'm happy to say I plan on getting myself on the bone marrow donors register as soon as I get back to the UK. Until I saw your post, I didn't know it was possible.
All set for 5/11!
Actually... I cheated- I've had that appointment for about a week, but hey!
Also, for anyone out there who is lucky/unlucky enough to have O- like myself, I urge you to do the ALYX donation. It takes twice as long, makes you twice as woozy, but you only have to donate half as often, and it give a full pint of 100% red blood cells- which are what are in demand.
Keep it up!
And for everyone who says "hell no"- just remember when you're in need or a love one is in need, it has to come from somewhere. So don't be greedy!
Actually... I cheated- I've had that appointment for about a week, but hey!
Also, for anyone out there who is lucky/unlucky enough to have O- like myself, I urge you to do the ALYX donation. It takes twice as long, makes you twice as woozy, but you only have to donate half as often, and it give a full pint of 100% red blood cells- which are what are in demand.
Keep it up!
And for everyone who says "hell no"- just remember when you're in need or a love one is in need, it has to come from somewhere. So don't be greedy!
Thank you for the support. Remember to post here when you have donated! Remember to include a picture!
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Or you could just accept the good thing Macrumors is doing. It's more than a lot of other companies. It's amazing how people find any reason to bitch.
Great idea! Too bad about the number of negative ratings, just goes to show how overrun with trolls this site has become in the last year or so.
TL;DR???
What it shows is the number of people with disdain for the Red Cross and their "suitability" rules for blood donation.
I wish you all the best of luck, but I really do think there is a wide gulf between those of you who aren't afraid of this stuff and those of us who are.
I'm pretty sure it's impossible for either side to fully understand the other. For example, I understand why you might think so, but the needle insertion isn't actually the scary part. (I don't mind when they prick me to get a little blood onto a microscope slide, for example.) It's the next minute or so with the needle in your arm that freaks us out. But I understand why you don't get that. I really do think it's 2 totally different kinds of people here.
I don't feel bad saying this because if you're not one of us I really don't think anyone can be 'talked into' being afraid of it. So I doubt my comment will have any negative repercussion. (Or I wouldn't have said it, I DO think this stuff is important!)
Macrumors didn't say anything about having to donate in any particular way. This is not a Red Cross event. Another poster added some links earlier to other organizations that accept blood donations.
bone marrow donation is now done (at least it is one of the techniques) with a sort of transfusion (takes about two hours) and it is as painfull as giving blood (ie almost painless).
I've donated about 11 times already, I will donate not because of this cause but because I know blood is needed and I am able to give, I think people should just donate, it's sad to see that people need this causes so that they can take action, it would be better if they had a better civic consciousness.
But we need to start somewhere.
BTW: minumum age isn't the only pre-requisit, at least in my country, you need to be at least 50Kg and less than 65 yo (not to mention all the medical conditions and where you've travelled lately, etc).
I think that stem cell harvesting is still done by a big needle into the pelvis. Just had a friend do it a month or so ago. Other types, like granulocyes, are done just like donating blood.
Macrumors is not responsible for Red Cross policies.
Besides which, ask anyone who has contracted HIV or Hep B as a result of inadequate screening how much they would have opposed the current measures, imperfect as they are.
Exactly.
Stem cells are taken from the circulating blood and that's how most donations are made these days. Bone marrow is taken from the hip but donating that way is now less prevalent because of donor preferences. The recipients win either way.
With blood donations, most people can donate and there will always be people with a matching blood type who can use it. With marrow and stem cell donations, the recipient must be someone matched specifically to you by blood antigens, which happens most frequently between siblings but can also happen between strangers, usually with the same ethnic/racial background. So people sign up for bone marrow registries and donate only if they are contacted and told that somebody in need has been a match for them. If you get called because you match a stranger, you may be the only person who can save their life!
