I can't have direct blood donations, bone marrow problems forbade stockpilubg my own, if you are medically able without restrictions donations of money, blood or platelets to the Red Cross. Pooled blood helps many. I especially need platelets but donation can be hard on donors xo

I donate 3 units of platelets every two weeks. If anyone can donate, please do.

On behalf of all the people who have need of them I say thank you. I may even have some of your platelets in me LOL. Many donors say it's rough on them. Would you be able to explain that better if you know. What inspired you to choose platelet donations over whole blood or plasma

Whole-blood donor since HS in '70s. Fell off in my 20s/30s. Started again in '95 when my son had brain cancer. Paused after my own brain C in '03. Wife "covered for me," donating platelets for years. When she was dx'd with (incurable, but harmless) cancer, I swx'd to platelets.

It's sad that something so brutal an experience in your family brought you to that choice. Did you find it harder or more uncomfortable in any way when you started donating platelets as compared to whole blood?

One time, I got called up to do a white blood cell donation. That’s harder: you have to take special meds beforehand, and the transfer takes three hours, with both arms connected. I do it again, but it’s definitely more troublesome.

Also white cell transfusions are very rarely used anymore they are mostly used to create other types of blood products. There is very little they can do now for my white cells because I can't take neupogen anymore the FDA put a stop on it was on it longer than maybe anyone.

Yeah, this was a long time ago: a directed donation for a specific patient. I guess that was usually the case. I don’t know that there’s much I can do other than send you my best thoughts, and hope that maybe a useful platelet or two find their way to you. :-)