Reprinted from the ACJ - March 2000
I'm not much of a joiner. Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, Daughters of the American Revolution. You won't find me listed among their ranks. That doesn't mean I don't feel the pull to help my fellow man. Care for the disadvantage, feed the hungry, house the homeless, etc. That is all well and good. I'm just not as motivated as I should be. The folks out there donating their time and self, deserve a big pat on the back. Hell, I figure not throttling the guy writing a check in the express lane is a humanitarian act. So, how does an antisocial fellow such as myself contribute to the greater good? By giving blood. It doesn't cost you anything. You don't have to ladle soup all day or go house to house begging.
The Red Cross say's that by giving blood you are `Giving the Gift of Life'. Each pint you donate can benefit up to four people. 4 Million people require transfusions each year. 40,000 units a day. The process of giving blood takes roughly 45 minutes and can be relaxing enough to catch a quick nap. Following the donation you get pop and cookies. It's kind of like Kindergarten in Transylvania.
Statistics show that only 5% of eligible donors take the time to give blood. So, for the other 95% the door is open to `give till it hurts' for your fellow man. I should point out here that donating doesn't really hurt. There is a slight sting when they stab you but the real torture is when you remove the band-aid, and attached arm hair, several hours later. Even so, it is a lot less painful than the normal way shop guys give blood. By barking their knuckles when the wrench slips.
The blood you give, both at the donation center and on the shop floor, is of a specific type. That is the A+ or O- we have all heard about. But what does it mean. To the donor, nothing. To the recipient, everything. Our blood contains specific proteins called Antigens (there are no Unclegens). Blood of like antigens mix well. Mix two different blood types and the antigens clash, fight and turn to cottage cheese in your veins. So blood transfusions must be of the same `type' as the patients. Two major antigens exist in blood, A and B. If the A antigen is present alone, you are type A. B alone, you are B. A and B together, AB. Neither A or B, you type O (I guess that stands for `Other'). To complicate matters there is a subset of proteins known as Rhesus Factors (Rh). This is not linked to your ability to eat bananas and play on a tire swing but the + or - behind the blood type, AB-, O+, etc. It indicates if the Rh antigen is present in your blood. That may be more biochemistry than you need or wanted. As a donor, as long as it's red they will take it.
Once they get your bag of blood they usually take this `Whole Blood' and separate it into it's three components. Red Blood Cells, the oxygen carrying component; Plasma, the liquid portion (chock full of proteins); and Platelets, the emergency responders that speed to the site of that bleeding knuckle and form a clot to stop the unintended donation. A needy patient may get all or only part of your blood.
The process of donating goes like this. First they confirm your identity with FBI like efficiency; they ask you to state your name and show ID. Next, in order to protect the blood supply from disease, they ask you about five minutes worth of personal questions. This can get a little uncomfortable due to the fact that among the questions about health and medical history are some social behavior (sex) questions. You can lighten up the proceedings by giving correct answers in interesting ways. In order to rule out an HIV/AIDS risk they will ask me (and all males), "Have you had sex with a man, even once, since 1977?" I like to look deep in thought and then respond, "Since 1977... no." Then watch the interviewers facial expression. Granted, this gets a better reaction in Davenport, Iowa than in San Francisco. A quick word about donation safety. The honest answers to these questions, and testing of the blood after collection, protects the recipient. Use of `one time' sterile needles and collection bags ensures that you, the donor, are kept healthy and safe. This is a good reason to donate at the Red Cross or with another state certified organization, and not some fly by night vampire den.
After answering the questions you lie down on a table, they clean your arm and stick you with a needle. Ten minutes later you are 1 pint lighter and someone's life is saved. To top it all off, you get cookies. You are instructed to drink plenty of fluids and relax for the rest of the day. To take advantage of this I donate on Saturday morning and thus get a free pass to avoid lawn mowing or cleaning the garage. Instead I spend the day watching football and being lazy. See, volunteer work can benefit both parties. You can donate once every 8 weeks and the folks at the Red Cross, as well as the patient who will get your blood, really appreciate your charitable act.
If an hour of your time every 2 months sounds like a good way to benefit mankind, you can find your nearest blood center by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. Remember bloody knuckles doesn't mean you' Gave at the Office'.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc.
and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service
Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this
information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825