For getting frustrated at cancelled blood donor appointments

[MumofSpud]

DH has been having regular blood / platelets transfusions since May due to having Leukaemia.
I thought that I should start donating blood as some small way of 'giving something back'.
I have made 3 different local appointments since May and they have all been cancelled.
I have made each appointment online and will have to wait 3-4 weeks for the next available one and then it is cancelled the week before.
3 times this has happened!
I rang the helpline as my appointment for August 15th was cancelled today and spoke to a v helpful / sympathetic man who said as I was a first timer they would be more likely to cancel my appointment as they don't know my blood group so don't know if it is one they are in great need of!
It would make sense that when you sign up to donate you are able to provide this detail.
He said my choices were:

1. to go into my nearest permanent blood donation centre - over 1 hour away though, which I can do - there are appointments available straightaway.
2. make an appointment at the next local clinic in.... December!!!!! Meanwhile on the radio I can hear daily adverts about donating blood and how supplies are running low!

@MumofSpud - I’m so sorry - I flagged this to answer, and then life kept getting in the way. Sorry to hear about your DH. I sincerely hope that the transfusions are working, and that he is able to make a full recovery.

I share your frustrations with blood donations. In my home country I was a registered blood donor, and was sometimes called in on ad hoc occasions as my blood type is slightly unusual. I did this for many years, and also donated blood when we lived abroad. I needed blood when DD was born, and like you, was grateful that others had done this for me. We moved to the UK last year and there has been a solid refusal to take any blood from anyone in the family as we lived in Africa and “might” have malaria. It’s so incredibly frustrating. And then every day on the radio I hear appeals for blood donors…

I registered but never made an appointment before I got pregnant. They called to make me an appointment while I was pregnant but I explained I couldn’t just then but would let them know after I’d stopped breastfeeding. After a couple of questions they ascertained that I was pregnant using my wife’s embryos and I was swiftly removed from the donor list. Apparently you can’t donate if you’ve been pregnant via egg donation (sperm donation is fine), despite there being more checks of donor health then in typical methods of achieving pregnancy, AND my wife is herself a donor. Madness!!