midjd
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Post by midjd on May 28, 2011 13:19:23 GMT -5
I got a few $25 gift cards for donating in NY... not sure if they still do that or not. We have a state employee blood drive every 6 weeks or so, I usually try to make it over. You can register with an online database and you automatically get points with each donation. You can cash them in for t-shirts, flashlights, beer steins, keychains, etc. The database also tracks your cholesterol, pulse, and blood pressure at each donation - it's nice to have a gauge on my cholesterol level without going to the doctor every other month. Plus it gets me out of work for an hour... and free cookies ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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greenstone
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Post by greenstone on May 28, 2011 14:10:26 GMT -5
Florida Blood Services always gives you free stuff when you donate. Usually it's a t-shirts with an atrocious pun on it like "Give for Hugh Manatee". I've also gotten flip-flops, a beach towel, baseball cap, visor, and more. Often you also get a coupon for a free item at a fast food place or a free admission to a local attraction. It's really easy for me to give since they have a bus at our work every 56 days, practically to the exact minute we're able to donate again.
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TD2K
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Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger
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Post by TD2K on May 28, 2011 16:39:42 GMT -5
Some of the slogans to get people to donate give me a chuckle. My favorite is "Blood, it was meant to circulate"
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TD2K
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Post by TD2K on May 28, 2011 16:42:56 GMT -5
You get in their system and they'll call you and call you and call you and call you and call,call, call.
I bet because they are always short of blood at least around here that's the case. I get a call from the local blood bank the day I become eligible.
After 9/11, the blood banks had lines for hours of people waiting to donate. Pity they didn't get this type of interest around the clock.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 18:13:31 GMT -5
We both have a card and do get the regular mail/phone calls asking us to donate. Usually we get tshirts, flip flpos, bag, etc.
We regularly give blood anyway so doesn't matter. But I wanted to know if the reason they do gifts, gift cards, etc is to entice people to give more? And is demnad that high?
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whoami
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Post by whoami on May 28, 2011 18:35:05 GMT -5
DH is AB- and they call as soon as he is able to donate. He does so regularly and usually gets a t-shirt. They occasionally give away a cruise or something bigger but he donates because he wants to...not because of what they give away. I wish I could but I am always borderline iron deficient so I dont.
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haapai
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Post by haapai on May 29, 2011 10:05:44 GMT -5
I think there's a donation dip every summer. It may not have that much to do with the rarity of O+.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 29, 2011 10:08:52 GMT -5
My Mom is AB negative. That's supposed to be real rare because she used to get (in the 50's mind you) 35$ to donate it. That used to free her from having to have a roommate in her apartment. Can you imagine an apt for $70 a month? In Chicago, no less? I am O+ so I am the universal donor and very common!!!
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phil5185
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Post by phil5185 on May 29, 2011 10:30:01 GMT -5
I hit the 100 donation mark this year. Just donated last week. Yes, be sure to have something to eat a couple of hours before donating and try to drink more water prior to donating. If I don't, it makes it harder for them to find a vein ![](http://us.social.s-msn.com/s/images/emoticons/thumbs_up.gif) I'm at 44. Just think, if you didn't make new blood so fast you would be 100 pounds lighter. I learned the same thing about the water, be fully hydrated so that they don't have to feel around inside & make multiple pokes to hook a vein. I'm an O+, wife is a universal O-, in high demand, especially right after a holiday w/e.
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The Home 6
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Location: Bourbon Country
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Post by The Home 6 on May 29, 2011 10:40:30 GMT -5
I wish I could but I am always borderline iron deficient so I dont. The nice people at the Armed Services Blood Program know me by sight now. Every time there is a blood drive, I am THERE, because the blood goes to wounded soldiers, a cause rather close to my heart. And every time except one, I am anemic. I don't know what else to do, as I'm taking iron supplements 3 times a day! They test my blood before filling out the paperwork now. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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TD2K
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Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger
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Post by TD2K on May 29, 2011 10:44:29 GMT -5
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on May 29, 2011 12:46:42 GMT -5
My cousin has a rare type and is from a small town. Only two people in town could donate for him, a man and his own brother. They would do arm to arm transfusions when he was young. Lucky for him they invented transfusions before his brother went to the army or he could have died for lack of donors
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2011 13:00:50 GMT -5
And every time except one, I am anemic. I don't know what else to do, as I'm taking iron supplements 3 times a day! I haven't had that problem since hitting menopause. ;D
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on May 29, 2011 13:48:01 GMT -5
That 1 person would be my mom. AB-
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 29, 2011 13:49:51 GMT -5
"Cycle repeats many times over about 1.5 hours or so. When the saline mix goes back in, it's a couple degrees cooler than your body temperature. Interesting sensation as the cooled blood hits your brain. They wrap you in blankets, give you heat packs and let you watch movies. You get extra V-8 too"
I did that once too, but the caline was way colder than a few degrees from my body temperature. It was in the dead of winter and the caline had been sittint outside in the truck in the dead of winter (in Maine no less). I've never been as cold as when they injected the caline into me.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 29, 2011 13:54:15 GMT -5
Anyways, convenience is the driving force behind when I give blood. I gave as often as I could when working for the military, and for the red cross before that. When I gave to the military, it was to the armed services blood program. I normally just do the blood drives at work, since it's a good excuse to get out of work for a bit. I don't really care about the gifts.
I handle giving blood fine, but I'm in good shape. I sometimes get sleepy later in the day though.
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TD2K
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Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger
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Post by TD2K on May 29, 2011 17:07:48 GMT -5
The staff always tell us here to make sure we drink plenty of fluids for the next couple of days. I've really gotten a rise out of them when I tell them I'm planning on hitting happy hour.
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newmummy
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Post by newmummy on May 29, 2011 20:51:00 GMT -5
I know folks who sell blood. I would if I could. However, since we lived in England during the 80s they won't take it. ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png) Despite outbreaks of BSE stateside and the fact that it sets in within 6 months of exposure in most cases. ![>:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/angry.png) The clotting condition I have means I actually make far more blood cells than I need - making an ideal blood donor. But get this - I can still donate marrow & am on the registry to do so. ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png)
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