General Chat

yes i do,i have the quite rare o neg group.x

they dont want my blood

i have a blood condition that means they cannot use it apparantly

That donates blood?

Because that is the level of donation of blood from the eligible UK population last year.

Pretty poor effort isn't it?

Almost everyone between the ages of 17 and 60 can donate...its easy and painless...(I am petrified of needles and have notched up my 70th donation)

More importantly for us as a community we have people on GR who are really poorly at the moment and are receiving treatment that may result in them requiring a transfusion of a blood component known as Platelets.

Platelet donation can help sufferers of a number of illnesses including leukaemia or other cancers to fight the illness and return to good health.

I have been a whole blood donor for the last 30 years but a couple of years ago I cross matched with a cancer sufferer who so badly needed my platelets that a motorbike courier was outside the donor session waiting to take my donation down to the south west.

After a couple of regular donations I can't tell you the buzz I got when the Blood Service told me he/she had responded to treatment and my donation had helped him/her turn the corner.

Not everyone can donate platelets but most can donate whole blood, but as I said at the start only 4% of the population do.

Please if there is one thing you do, think about giving the gift of life....GIVE BLOOD

Contact the Blood Donation line on 0845 7 711 711 to arrange an appointment and ask then about platelet donation

If you have any queries about donation of what it involves by all means please ask me....I will be brutally honest in my reply and before you ask the tea they give you is erm not good lol.

I start platelet donation again very soon... and will post my diary here so you can see it doesnt take a lot to make a difference