Categories
Blood

Blood…

For those that don’t know, I am very passionate about donating blood, simply because I know the benefits it provides and know that it’s a very small imposition on me to donate something which I have plenty to give. I recently received a medal for passing 50 donations (of whole blood – Apheresis donors can donate many more times per year) and recently made donation #57.

I believe that anyone who can donate blood, should donate blood.

However, I do understand there are many reasons why people don’t: some are medical, some are pathological. Consider the rise of cancers in the world today – more than a third of donated blood is used to help cancer patients. Do you know of anyone who has or has beaten cancer? I have heard many stories where people donate blood to help out a family member undergoing surgery, however your blood can also be used to help other people along the way. I like to look at people as I walk down the street and wonder if I’ve helped them in some small way. You can read the stories of many people who rely on blood donations, such as Georgio, Jai, Marnie or Sophia (in their own way these people have their own Inner Story)

Where does my donated blood go?

My Special Blood.
However, I have something special in my blood that I’d like to tell you about. I make regular donations 4 times a year like most others, but my blood is not used for transfusions. I am a member of the Red Panel cell donors, and in order to understand what this means, I refer you to an explanation from the Manager of the Red Cell Reference Laboratory:

The Panel is a project that has been in operation for over 20 years and continues with the support of special donors like Andrew. We currently provide three types of panels – Abtectcell II, Abtectcell III and the Phenocell A panel. Andrew is a part of the Phenocell A panel. The project involves the collection of donations which are sent to the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in Melbourne, where they are bottled and packaged. The product is then sent to hospital laboratories all over Australia and used to identify irregular red cell antibodies found in pregnant women and in patients requiring transfusion. By identifying such antibodies, we are able to give a patient blood which is compatible for transfusion.
Donors are selected to join this program based on their extended red cell phenotype. The blood groups of all of the donors in this program need to complement each other, and together they must cover all the blood groups that can cause transfusion problems.

Andrew’s extended red cell phenotype is:Group O; cDe, C-, E-, CW-; K-, k+, Kp(a-b+); Fy(a-b+); Jk(a+b-); M+, N+, S+, s+; P1-; Le(a-b+); Lu(a-b+); Co(a+b-)

Andrew’s Rhesus phenotype is found in just 2% of the population. When combined with his antigen negative status of some of the other blood groups, this makes him an especially valuable member of our program.

Why am I telling you this? In some small way it makes me feel special to know my blood is used in a way to ensure other units of blood are compatible before donation. You could say with the special bits in it (in no way am I going to use the language from the above text as I am not an expert and don’t claim to be) my blood is an enabler – in a way, similar to my view on life – to be an enabler to help others achieve their goals.

Perhaps you have something special in your blood and don’t yet know it? Let me know if you have any questions about donating blood by leaving comments below! (Please Note: I am passionate about donating blood but am not affiliated with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service)

Categories
Betterment Ramblings

Changes whilst donating blood…

I donated blood today and noticed a number of changes (it’s been 70 days since my last donation…)

  1. The donor consent/medical history form has changed (it now asks if you have ever been out of the country)
  2. There’s a sign asking you to contact the Blood Bank should you feel unwell, nausea, have diarrhoea, etc. within 7 days after donating blood (in the past everything focused on events prior to that donation)
  3. They now use a different bandage and different tape (thinner and weaker). When I asked the nurses why they changed, they muttered that it’s ‘likely’ to save money – ironic when it was explained that they now needed to use more {of both} than with the older products.

One of the nurses asked me how come I noticed so many changes, and upon a quick think (because I had not consciously thought of this in the past) I put it down to being more observant of things being different. We discussed the fact that change is required to keep things moving/progressing, but change for changes sake, or change for such a one-dimensional aspect (saving money without factoring in the increased usage) is just ludicrous. The staff won’t thank management for it, if anything, it will drive a wedge between them and management.

I wonder how many ‘upper management’ decisions truly encompass the views and inputs of the people using the items on a daily basis? Will the Blood Bank truly save money with decisions like this? How many other false prophecies are being played out every day in companies, large and small?

I’m all for change but like to know that consultation and communication are included as part of any decision to make changes (for whatever result).