Day 202: Donating Blood

After going through the convalescent plasma donation process I am sad to say that I no longer have antibodies that are considered to be at a "therapeutic" threshold for other COVID-19 patients. That being said, there is still so much good work to be done and upon finding out that I am a universal donor for whole blood (everything BUT plasma), I have switched to donating my red cells.

I am so happy that I am allowed to donate blood because when I tried exactly ten years ago, type 1 diabetic people were not permitted to donate. Since then, I was educated about new policies put in place that grant us the ability to donate too!

My husband and I decided to go as a date on our mutual day off this week (very rare for us with him teaching and me now working full-time with the Health Department). We were able to sit in adjoining chairs and talk while the machine did the real work--all we needed to do was stay hydrated and remain relatively still. One of our best dates so far! :)

RIght now, not only the USA, but most countries in the world have an extreme shortage of blood products for patients due to the challenges of setting up safe and efficient blood drives + the worry from many that donation facilities could be places of exposure for COVID-19 right now. I want to reassure you as best I can about our experience because it is vitally important that anyone eligible to donate blood feels safe doing so right now.

During my time on the COVID unit, people were getting transfusions (not necessarily to improve their COVID symptoms) regularly. Seeing the mixture of both reluctance and relief during the process has absolutely impacted my decision to be a regular donor as frequently as is possible. There are different parameters on how frequently it is safe to donate based on what type of donation you are able to make, so I will be eligible again two months from now even though the process took less than 15 minutes and I had no ill effects afterward.

If you are in a position to donate, The American Red Cross will help you find the nearest facility to you where you are eligible to donate. Many of these sites pay you for your donation. We elected to go to a site where we are not paid because 1) It is a facility that still looks at my blood and uses it for research in studying COVID-19 and 2) It is so close to our house we could almost walk!

Want more information on how you or a loved one can donate?

https://www.redcrossblood.org/

Thank you for making a difference!

Prepare, don't panic,

-Allison