Over the last 5 years my brother fighting cancer, an uncle with blood loss issues, a friend with 'feminine issues' and a FIL with a bleeding ulcer have all required blood transfusions, sometimes multiples.
I have been hit and miss with donating, but intend to continue to improve: now that I can book online for my next donation, the future commitment is already in place and in my calendar!
My spouse has attempted to donate several times over the same time frame, as he is very aware he has the most sought after universal blood type from donating decades ago. Due to an extreme fear of blood pressure cuffs (it's a panic attack, folks) he has been unable to donate in recent years as there was always a required preliminary blood pressure reading. Recently he has been utilizing technology - a smart watch proves his normal BP. At my previous appointment in the fall, I noted there was no preliminary BP reading required. We moved forward with setting up an appt during the '22 Christmas blood services drive in our community; we did ask they use a band rather than the cuff during insertion of the needle. He is now a proud donation member. I am so thrilled he has been able to join me in our simple life goal of helping others.
