Donate Blood Save a Life!

I forgot to mention to those of you on the east coast...or more likely people in the MD-DC-VA region that there's a blood shortage at the blood bank and the red cross needs your help. Check out their website for blood drives and stuff.

Although I can not donate blood for the reasons listed below, I still encourage those of you that can to do it. You never know when you or your family will need blood...and it wont be available.

So here are some reasons why you shouldn't waste your time lining up to donate blood because they wont take it if:

• you have HIV/ AIDS


• hepatitis


• have lived in or visited malaria prone areas. You need to wait atleast a year if you have visited a country with malaria, or wait 3 years if you have lived in a country with malaria.


• if you lived in the United Kingdom for atleast 3 months from 1980- 1996, you might have variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (vCJD)...aka "mad cow" disease. So you will never be able to donate blood until further notice!...yaay!!!


• were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977.
  since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
  had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries. You might have HIV-O.

I found out the hard way... after feeling guilty one year, I walked myself to a blood drive, and after screening, I was told I couldn't donate blood because I had lived in England in the 80's for way more than 3 months. Also initially when i went those sheets used to state that if you had lived in or around the Congo...you couldn't give blood. I am not sure why, but I gather it has to do with Ebola or maybe just the hiv-O. So automatically I was ruled out for two reasons. Okay so the whimp in me was really happy:-), then the lady goes ati...'oh, but you can donate bone marrow'...I was like 'oh hhheeeeellll nooooooo!'

So there you have it! Donate blood and safe a life.