Pluggers by Rick McKee for August 18, 2016

been quite a long while since I last rolled up my sleeves to help someone

working on seven gallons hoping to make it to eight

Now if they’d quit calling me over and over…especially a few days after I’ve just donated….

Last time I donated, they told me not to come back—they couldn’t afford the orange juice and cookies and I couldn’t afford the ambulance ride home ! ! !

It’s been about 20 years since I last donated. They won’t take my blood anymore since I was stationed in Europe during the Mad Cow disease scare.

I’m a very regular donor, platelets as well, once a month.

I do platelets once a month. Hubby passed out once, years ago, and never went back, and Eldest daughter gets giddy when I mention it!

I’m up to 18 Gallons. I know some that have given 3 times that much in their life time. Every pint given helps up to 3 people

I’m at about 2 gallons, can’t donate again until Sep. 5th, a year past my latest surgery.

IndyManThey wouldn’t let me give because a I saw a doctor (routine check-up) within the year. I got a note from my doctor, so I will try again.

I used yo donate platelets and plasma but the Red Cross closed the donor center close to me and now it would be a 50 mile round trip to the nearest one, so I would if I could.

If the Red Cross won’t take your blood, try your local hospital. They don’t care what history you have with the Red Cross; they’ll conduct their own tests and come to their own conclusions about your eligibility. It’s worked for me.

As I mentioned a while back, in another comic (can’t recall which), THANK YOU to all who donate. I donated in my youth, about 15 times. But as chronic illness and anemia overtook me in later years, I have literally had my life saved by people donating blood and platelets. You are all saints, and people like you have my eternal gratitude!

I donated my 14th pint of blood on 26th July and I received a text message saying which hospital my blood was issued to!

xxx

I stopped donating blood when the Red Cross showed it had major problems with its recordkeeping. While I was working for the Army, they would come onto the installation every two or three months and they had no problems. But once I lost that job (it was a temp gig) and started donating through their local centers, I’d go give blood only to get a call the next night saying, “We see you were unable to keep your appointment; do you wish to reschedule?” “Excuse me!?” I asked, incredulous. “Wanna see the hole you put into my arm!?” “Oh, we’re so sorry. We’ll see you in two months.”Two months later I went and donated; and the next night I got another call, just like two months previously. I told that person, “If I get another call saying I missed my donation and would I like to reschedule, you’re getting your donation card back in pieces.” I didn’t have long to wait — the very next night, not the local blood center, but its downtown headquarters called me. I hung up on them without even speaking to them. The phone rang again almost immediately. I asked my roommate to get it for me.“Yes, he’s here…No, he doesn’t want to speak to you…No, I don’t think he can see your race through the telephone…He’s just tired of your recordkeeping being so bad that you call him the night after he donates, thinking he missed his appointment and asking him to reschedule.” I immediately went upstairs to my room, wrote the RC a very angry letter, cut up the donation card, and sent it back to them. To the best of my knowledge, their recordkeeping hasn’t gotten any better, because they have yet to take me up on the part of my letter where I said I’d consider donating again if they ever got their act together.That was about 30 years ago.

I’m at Andy’s level, myself. I’ve been donating since the Oklahoma City Bombing.