AIBU to remind people about donating blood?

[MLMshouldbeillegal]

Gave blood this week at a community session near my house. The nurse who chatted to me as my blood was being taken was saying how much the pandemic has impacted them - no walk ins, everyone has to make an appointment, if people don't/can't turn up after booking that's a slot lost, numbers are down because people are avoiding being around other people.

So if you can - and I know not everyone can - please consider signing up as a donor or going back to being a donor if you did in the past and haven't been in a while.

I find it fascinating the amount of excuses not to bother giving, but I bet those same people will happily receive if in an emergency. People are so selfish these days.

I used to give regulary but had to go onto long term medication about 6 years ago and now my blood is no good to them :(

Fortunately, I've got a boring blood group so they're not losing out on anything massively rare or useful

I do.
Never miss.
Cancelled the last 2 sessions at last minute due to poor staffing the text said. An hour before for one session.
No problem, I booked again.
Found a session after work, near by. Yes it was 4 months in the future.
I’m not bothered. Minor irritations, nothing would stop me.

My minor irritations and inconveniences are a wee speck compared to the vital importance of what it is I actually AM doing.

My last one was only about 20 minutes from going in to leaving, which I actually found a bit too fast! Three people fainted/went very white while I was there so I wonder if perhaps they'll slow it down a bit next time.

But yes, if you can go please do. Stocks looked quite low.

I used to give blood regularly but moved 4 hours away 3 years ago and haven't been able to get an appointment since. I looked regularly and there aren't any slots in my 3 nearest locations. Ever. I've even tried contacting them and they were no help. Have given up now.

@LemonPeonies

I find it fascinating the amount of excuses not to bother giving, but I bet those same people will happily receive if in an emergency. People are so selfish these days.

It's literally not selfish to not let someone take your blood

I recently signed up to donate again and it's much much easier these days. Up until 2018 I used to make an appointment and end up sitting around for an hour because they had too many walk-ins. I had to plan for an hour of travel and 2 hours at the donation clinic. I gave up when they moved it to the other side of town where the traffic is notoriously bad after work. My two appointments this year have been brilliant. Weekend slots, a new location with a 5 or 10 minute wait before the donation starts.

I can’t donate as had a transfusion in 2004, I’m so grateful to those who can and do donate.

I signed up 2 years ago and have never got an appointment. They are always fully booked for 4 months in advance. Very frustrating. I've tried all the local ones I can get to and it's all the same. Yet weirdly they keep calling asking for donations yet I can't get appointments. I'm A pos.

I've tried to give blood since I was 17. At first they wouldn't do it because I have chronic psoriasis. Then they wouldn't do it because I was on infertility medicines. Then they wouldn't have it because my iron levels were too low. Now they won't have it because I had a transfusion.

I'm 60 now and have never given blood, which is a real shame.

I’ve been trying to give blood since before Covid - appointments only locally and I can never get one. My sibling is currently giving a pint a week, so they’re giving my share!

Try to but where I live they have cut the numbers so can't get an appointment locally. Nearest appointment is a 40 mile round trip which I can't do when working full time and being a lone parent.
I have raised it with them multiple times as I know I'm not the only one locally who is left unable to donate

I've looked at it before but I can never get an appointment fewer than 3 months in advance and I live in a big town (150k residents). If they are that in need of blood they need to put more appointments on - that wasn't even only convenient appointments and included ones where I would have had to duck out of work for the afternoon.

Never a problem booking a slot, as soon as I get home from one donation I book the next, the app is very easy to use and I can cope with wearing a mask for half an hour. I'm O- so they always seem pleased to see me, the staff are fantastic and the biscuits yummy!

I give as often as I can. Was due to give again last month but couldn’t get an appointment till April next year unless I travel to a city. They rang me up to ask if I would book in sooner, I said of course if you can get me in. They said they definitely could as I am priority being O - . They got me booked in Feb next year. I could and would have given twice in that time if I could get the appointments.

Wow! Where do you all live? I've been donating in the Swindon area for years and am on my 54th donation. I have never had any of the issues you guys describe.
The booking process on the app is efficient, if you turn up on time there's no waiting, staff are friendly (it's the same group of people who run all of the six or seven centres within travelling distance from me).
I usually make an appointment for the next time within 48 hours of a donation, as soon as the app is posted, and so donate every 3 months without fail. I'm B+, so I think my blood is usually used for research rather than donations.

@PaperMonster

I’ve been trying to give blood since before Covid - appointments only locally and I can never get one. My sibling is currently giving a pint a week, so they’re giving my share!

A) it's not collected in pints these days
B) she wouldn't be allowed to donate weekly - it takes longer than that for your body to make back everything it's lost.

@LemonPeonies

I find it fascinating the amount of excuses not to bother giving, but I bet those same people will happily receive if in an emergency. People are so selfish these days.

It's not selfish to have received a transfusion or to have low iron or to be a slow bleeder or any of the other zillion reasons which can rule you out for no fault of your own.

I guess you could argue that the people who can't be bothered to book four month in advance are less than selfless, but with the new "28 days from a cold" rule these long lead times are a hostage to fortune anyway. If I'd made a repeat appointment immediately after my last appointment as was suggested I'd have had to cancel.

The rules are all in place for very good reasons but they do rule out a lot of people.

@ShaneTheThird

I signed up 2 years ago and have never got an appointment. They are always fully booked for 4 months in advance. Very frustrating. I've tried all the local ones I can get to and it's all the same. Yet weirdly they keep calling asking for donations yet I can't get appointments. I'm A pos.

It's probably because of existing donors booking so far in advance. During the biscuit eating wait at the end of a donation they encourage donors to get on the app and book their next appointment. When I gave blood last month I booked a new appointment for February as did everyone else there at the same time. Looking now there are no appointments for the centre where I went in February (though I've just learned they now have a donation clinic in my village 3 weeks later 🤦🏻‍♀️)

@MrsFin it’s being done under medical supervision and is collected in pints. It’s bloomin hard going for them but the one bonus is that it can be donated.

I had an appointment, they cancelled it at the last minute. And they're always pointlessly rude and unpleasant, I only keep going because I think I should. I don't quite get why, when I take time out of the day to donate my blood, they behave as though they're doing me a massive favour and I'm an inconvenience.

Mind you, I'm B+, so they probably are thinking I'm occupying a slot that someone with a more useful blood group could have.

I am still going but it is such a miserable experience. Last time I went I took my own blanket because I had been so cold the previous time. It took ages because I was so cold. No hot drink at the end of it as they don't want people hanging around. They didn't even have any orange Clubs 😢

I gave blood before I had kids, then decided to start again a few years ago. But my haemoglobin levels were too low twice, and once more means I will never be allowed to give blood again. So I don't want to go in case I'm banned for life.

I'm on iron and folic acid (prescribed) so not sure if they'd be high enough now.

My DO donates platelets monthly. He's been doing it for many years.

Like previous posters said, I have tried so many times but there are never any slots remotely near me, and I work full time. I have O negative so desperate to donate, which you could just pop in

@Medievalist

Used to give blood regularly but had a transfusion in 1994 so am not allowed to.

Not quite sure why the blood was good enough to give me, but not good enough to have back!

Yes this affects a lot of women after childbirth. It does seem a little ridiculous, but they do get bees in their bonnet - look how long it took them to allow gay men to donate.

It's not unreasonable to ask people to donate - but they could allow walk-ins if they were that desperate. And they made it more difficult to make appointments - I used to be able to get a crafty last minute cancellation but the app doesn't allow it anymore - or at least I couldn't work out how. It would be good if those who could donate but don't got off their bottom and made the effort though (my DH being among them!)