Are you a blood donor?

by nicolaou 30 Replies latest watchtower medical

nicolaou

So many of us on this forum have criticised the Watchtower society for their obscene blood transfusion/fractions policies. Quite right too.
It begs the question though; what are you doing about blood now that you have a more tolerant and informed perspective? It's a rhetorical question. It's none of my business - or anyone else's - whether you as an individual choose to donate blood or not, but I think it's certainly a question that each of us need to ask of ourselves.
Seeing as how I raised the question, I don't mind saying for the record that I do donate blood. It's a most satisfying experience and certainly a valuable part of my 'maturing away' from the Organization.
Nic'
Satans little helper

I'm a blood donor and would certainly have a blood transfusion should I need it. If I can help save someone's life in the here and now I sure as hell will. I pity the poor saps who think that leading a miserable life now will get you a better existance in the hereafter
Scully

Yes, I donate blood as often as I'm eligible to do so. In Canada, a person can donate every 56 days. My next donation in January will be my 20th.
I have specimens submitted to the International Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and will be happy help anyone who needs my bone marrow. For all intents and purposes, bone marrow is composed of red blood cells that have not yet matured.
I'm also considering becoming a plasma donor, which you can safely do every 2 weeks.
I have also administered blood products to patients at work, mostly the Rh immune globulin, but occasionally Hepatitis B immune globulin, packed red blood cells, albumin, or anti-hemophilic factor/von Willebrand factor.
Love, Scully (anything to piss off the WTS class)
concerned mama

I, too, am registered with the International Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry. I am no longer able to give blood because of vein problems, but gave regularly for about 10 years. My husband still gives blood, and my son is going to start.
Xena

Yep...lol and I love the way they pamper me when I am there...I lay back...get my juice and cookie...cool cloth for my head. If I had known it was this much fun to give blood I would have done it sooner!
Elsewhere

I sure am! In fact, I donate whole blood and platelets on a regular basis.
Yerusalyim

I used to donate...but...having been to Germany at certain times found unacceptable by the Red Cross...and...having had hepetitis B...I'm out of the running to donate.
Number 6

Yep, the knowledge that I am breaking another poxy Watchtower rule being part of the pleasure.
When I first started earlier this year the nurse explained to me that the blood can save up to five different people. It's a really simple act and takes all of 15 minutes followed by free tea and biscuits.
There's no reason why a healthy adult shouldn't donate blood.
6
'A pint? That's nearly and armful!' (added to see how many remeber that sketch)
Doubtfully Yours

Big no, no yet!!!
Actually, the blood doctrine is kind of driven deep into me. Don't think I'll ever donate or accept blood, not even if my life depended on it.
Go to CNN.com, under 'Health', and read about the two, blood donor and the recipient, that died because the 'mad cow' disease was in the donor's blood and passed it on to the recipient. Gosh, even the Pope has admitted some of his ailments were contracted through blood transfussions. No blood for me, thanks!
Did you all know blood is like fingerprints in that there isn't an exact match to your own? No blood thanks. All my blood shall remain inside, of course, 'til I lose enough of it in some tragic event and then it'll be my time to exit.
So, guys, hate to disappoint you all, but about the blood issue I'll go with the available scientific evidence against it and continue to abstain from it.
DY
Fe2O3Girl
Of course I am a blood donor! All those blood fractions that the GB have approved have to come from somewhere - I am doing my bit. I have also registered as a bone marrow donor.
On the subject raised by DY, the National Blood Service in the UK has released the following statement:
News Release following the Secretary of State for Health, John Reid??s statement to the House of Commons
John Reid, the Secretary of State for Health, has today made a statement to the House of Commons concerning the UK blood supply and the unknown risk of vCJD being transmitted by blood. The statement was made following news that a patient with vCJD who recently died had received a blood transfusion six years previously from a donor who developed vCJD, three years after making the donation.
The National Blood Service (NBS) would first wish to extend it?s sympathies to the family and friends of the recipient involved in this case, who received a blood transfusion during surgery for a serious illness.
The transfusion took place in 1996, prior to various precautionary measures around vCJD being implemented. This is a single incident and it is impossible to be sure of the route of infection. However, the possibility of vCJD being transmitted by blood cannot be discounted.
The NBS has recently been publicising a campaign to encourage regular, new and lapsed blood donors to give blood in the run up to Christmas. It is vital that donors continue to come forward to donate: to make sure that life saving and life enhancing treatments can continue.
The Department of Health (DH) along with the NBS and other blood services, medical and scientific experts are continuing to review the current precautions against vCJD and any further precautions that could be implemented.
END
Patient Queries may be directed to NHS DIRECT 0845 4647
For further media information, please contact Rakesh Vasishtha, NBS National Communications Manager (0208 258 2781) or Chris Hartley, NBS Head of Corporate Communications (0192348 6837)
Note to Editors:
The demand for blood never stops. Every day, 9,000 donations of blood are required to help in the treatment of patients across England and North Wales.

Giving blood is safe ? you cannot contract vCJD through giving blood.

The NBS?s prime concern is always the safety of donors and patients through the quality of blood products. The NBS is continually striving to improve blood safety.

The NBS has put in place a number of precautions against the unknown risk of vCJD such as leucodepletion in 1999 (the removal of white cells from blood) and the importation of plasma from the US to make plasma products such as Albumin. In addition, the NBS has recently signed a contract for the supply of US Fresh Frozen Plasma for babies and children born on or after 1 st January 1996.

It is important to balance the unknown risk of contracting vCJD through a blood transfusion against the risk of a patient not receiving the blood transfusion they require.

I hate to bring facts into the argument, but for the sake of accuracy - vCJD is NOT "mad cow disease" or BSE. Cows get BSE, people get vCJD.

I think that the final sentence of the statement is well worth considering. No medical procedure is without risk, but in the period in which there have been problems with HIV, Hepatitis and now, sadly, vCJD contaminated blood supply, I am convinced that far, far more people have been helped, and lives saved, than people harmed.

Personally, I still don't eat black pudding - I just don't fancy it. But I admit this is a hang up from my upbringing, I am not about to use fallacious anecdotal evidence of deaths by black pudding, of which no there have been occurences, as my excuse.

I suspect that there is still an over reliance on transfusions as a therapeutic tool in the UK, but with the constant shortage of this expensive resource, this tendency must be changing. I know that the donations I make are saving lives, and could well end up being processed into the fractions which JWs now accept. If I am ever unfortunate enough to need a blood transfusion - I'll take it gladly.

For those of us in the UK - the NBS's website is a great source of information about blood, and how to become a donor.

Are you a blood donor?

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