When I went to the blood bank on Friday, I saw my total and I was pretty surprised. It seems I have a lifetime total of 7.6 gallons. That's not including the eight times I donated with the Red Cross while living in California.
I've donated a total of 61 times with the two Blood and Tissue Centers, 20 times here in Austin. Now if that number seems inflated, well it sort of is. I've been doing platelet donations for the past couple of years and you can do that 24 times each year compared to the 6-7 times annually with whole blood. You could actually do both if you planned it out but I haven't done that yet. Essentially you'd have to first figure out all the whole blood donations, put those 56 days apart then factor in the 24 platelet donations within 10 days of each other or the whole blood donations.
I haven't gone as often as I should have so far this year, mainly because of work and meetings. The good thing, though, is that when I do go, they have free wireless and I'm able to work while I donate. Then I usually go home early!
If you are not currently a blood donor, I urge you to become one. Fewer than 5% of adults who could be regular blood donors donate at all. Commit to once a quarter. Locate your local blood bank and schedule an appointment.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Let me know what you think :)