Tuesday, September 21, 2004

That Time of the Month

Well, it's that time of the month. I spent a couple of hours bleeding this evening.

Of course, since I'm the wrong sex to menstruate, I do my bleeding with the assistance of the Red Cross. I have a standing appointment every four weeks to go in and donate two batches of platelets, so people who don't have a good supply of clotting factor in their blood will have a chance to live.

By my count, I figure I donated my 316th, or maybe 318th, unit of platelets.

Tell you what:

You don't need to spend 90-120 minutes hooked up to a machine donating platelets. If you're patient enough to do so, great! But they need whole blood, too.

If you're eligible to donate, why don't you make an appointment to donate blood on or near your birthday. It's only once a year, it's easy to remember the date, and it's nice symbolism.

It's the day you were given life.

Pay it forward.

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