# Give Blood. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177 "2010-07-10T01:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/1 "2010-07-10T01:58:49Z")
That’s it. Give a pint. If you can afford the time, give red cells. If you can afford more time, do Aphoresis. Do it through your local blood bank. Easy to find. American Red Cross is a good place to start. [American Red Cross](http://www.redcrossblood.org/?gclid=CO-_sffs36ICFQG4sgod0zxpyA) At the moment you can not possibly imagine or predict, someone you know will need a pint. Or 4. Or 11. See a sign outside the mall? Firehouse? Town Hall? Take that moment, make the decision to give some time and some blood. I did while stopping by the local police station to ask a few questions. Blood drive going on. My type is rare ( A- ) but I didn’t have time to go back later when the red blood cell machine was being delivered. But I had time to give a pint. Give a pint. Save someone’s life. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/2 "2010-07-10T02:02:09Z")
I try, but at least three times out of four I fail the hemoglobin/hematocrit screen. So I’m wasting their time and money each time I can’t give them my O+. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/3 "2010-07-10T02:07:01Z")
I gave for the first time last month! I was a bit nervous but it was fine. Plus, I learned that my hemoglobin is mad normal 🙂 And I’m O+ Since I get a reward of comp time from my employer for giving blood, they can expect me to have me on tap 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/4 "2010-07-10T02:12:24Z")
After the near-hell I’ve been going thru with these wisdom teeth, you’re on (and I’m an O+ universal donor, so yeah). Payback time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/5 "2010-07-10T02:12:28Z")
I give red cells three times a year which is the maximum that you can and is also how often they come to my work to take them. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/6 "2010-07-10T02:16:15Z")
No. I hate needles. I wont be donating blood, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/7 "2010-07-10T02:19:20Z")
O- Donated once, unpleasent experience. Also, in before the “I’m a homosexual” posts. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/8 "2010-07-10T02:19:21Z")
Sorry, I don’t meet their weight requirements. I’m on the [Bone Marrow registry](http://www.marrow.org/), though! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/9 "2010-07-10T02:19:53Z")
I donate regularly so I feel less bad now that I temporarily cannot (pregnant) but I have been pretty good at finding people, usually first-timers, to donate on my behalf. I just got the postcard notifying me of upcoming drives at my preferred sites in the mail yesterday, so I guess it’s time to find somebody again. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/10 "2010-07-10T02:25:44Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > After the near-hell I’ve been going thru with these wisdom teeth, you’re on (and I’m an O+ universal donor, so yeah). Payback time. O- is the universal donor; but O+ can give to 84% of the population of the US. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/11 "2010-07-10T02:28:45Z")
And if you have a gay friend or relative give blood in their name. ---
**Author:** ![PaperBlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@PaperBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaperBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/12 "2010-07-10T02:31:29Z")
Done - donated a pint of O+ about a week ago. The time before I did the aphoresis donation. I don’t give as much as I should, because life gets in the way, but I’ve been doing it for 30 years now. I think I’m up to about 6 gallons. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/13 "2010-07-10T03:25:00Z")
I donated a few weeks ago, on a trip to Chicago. When I lived in Chicago I donated frequently, both whole blood and, for several years, platelets. Unfortunately, for some reason the Red Cross has its local donation center at a place not easily accessible by public transportation, and I don’t drive. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/14 "2010-07-10T03:27:47Z")
I’m too small. Why can’t they just take a half pint? I would be a very regular donor if I could, my dad always was, and donated blood ended up saving his life several times over. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/15 "2010-07-10T03:40:03Z")
Donated my sweet pint of O- about a month ago. All you lousy non O- moochers, takin’ all my blood when I can’t take _any_ of yours! I got the raw deal over here! 😛 The Red Cross (ie secret vampire cabal…I mean, there’s no way they use _all_ that blood…) loves me. I’m relatively young, so a lot of years left in me, I have great veins I’m told, O-, and my hematocrit is always good…my last donation it was 16.5. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/16 "2010-07-10T03:53:08Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I try, but at least three times out of four I fail the hemoglobin/hematocrit screen. So I’m wasting their time and money each time I can’t give them my O+. Yeah. I have to take iron for a few days before a donation. I also have to do a couple of days of drinking extra water and have to put in some time doing aerobic exercises or there’s only a 50/50 chance they’ll sucessfully tap the vein. I don’t give anywhere near as often as I could. Maybe 3 or 4 times a year. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/17 "2010-07-10T03:55:40Z")
Every two months. But aphoresis makes me cold and irrationally uncomfortable, so it’s always red blood cells. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/18 "2010-07-10T03:55:54Z")
I used to donate regularly, but they don’t want my blood any more. I take too many medications. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/19 "2010-07-10T04:20:11Z")
After 6 gallons+ I am on blood thinners, so they won’t take me any longer. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177/20 "2010-07-10T04:32:22Z")
Tried a couple weeks ago, but failed the hematocrit. I bought a bottle of iron supplements, and I’ll go back when I’ve been taking them for three weeks (and I’m over my cold). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-blood/546177.md?page=2)