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Old 11-24-2007, 02:51 PM
 
Location: on a dirt road in Waitsfield,Vermont
2,186 posts, read 6,822,169 times
Reputation: 1148

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I have given blood in Maine and other states many times for over 40 years and everytime whether it's a local blood drive or at the Red Cross center on Forest Ave in Portland you go thru a rigerous screening process.

As mentioned the screening process has gotten more detailed. When my son turned 17 he wanted to give blood so I took him with me at the local blood drive in Cumberland at the town hall. He was not allowed, at that time, to give blood as he had been to Costa Rico in the past year. The blood is tested for HIV and other diseases before it goes into the user pipeline.

Nothing in life is perfect, for me it's pretty simple....the blood banks are hurting, somewhere someone needs blood or else they will die. I will continue to donate blood.
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Old 03-25-2008, 04:12 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,443 posts, read 61,352,754 times
Reputation: 30387
Once again; today my son came home from high school. With a bandage on his arm. So I asked, and was told that he had given blood today.

All his friends were doing it, it is cool.

I reminded him that we spoke about this the last time. He says that today he mentioned that he has lived overseas, and the people there said that as long as he had not lived overseas for greater than 5 years at a time, then his blood is okay.
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Old 03-25-2008, 05:29 PM
 
Location: Maine's garden spot
3,468 posts, read 7,237,647 times
Reputation: 4026
Forrest, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles for a number of reasons.
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Old 03-25-2008, 05:42 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,443 posts, read 61,352,754 times
Reputation: 30387
LOL

I don't need blood, and I hope that neither do you. So I guess that I don't care. But what does this mean about Red Cross blood?
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Old 03-25-2008, 05:56 PM
 
Location: Maine's garden spot
3,468 posts, read 7,237,647 times
Reputation: 4026
If there was a possiblity that you or your family are carriers for any of the diseases that you mentioned, or if someone else is, and is able to give blood... Probably the chance of something happening is very remote.
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Old 03-25-2008, 06:16 PM
 
Location: Learnifying me some good at UMaine at Fort Kent
306 posts, read 1,036,240 times
Reputation: 189
I gave blood a few years back in high school. If i remember correctly you can give when you are 16 with parental consent. 17 you do not need it. My parents knew. I also helped the drive when I was 15, 16 and 17 too.
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Old 03-25-2008, 07:24 PM
 
8,767 posts, read 18,661,299 times
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My son gave blood last week in the school drive. He's 17. He said that so many kids were passing out from giving blood that they stopped doing it at his school for the rest of the day. I was shocked they didn't need parental permission to give blood. They can't leave the school to go buy a cup of coffee without parental permission but someone can come in and take a pint of their blood? What genius set this law in motion?
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Old 03-25-2008, 07:31 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,443 posts, read 61,352,754 times
Reputation: 30387
Blood is a huge money maker for our 'non-profit' corporate setup.

I am not finding it right now. But Japan supplies around 10% of it's own needed blood. The rest is imported. Germany supplies around 20% of their own blood, the rest is imported.

The world's biggest exporter of blood products? Is the USA.

The nation who uses the smallest portion of it's own blood supply? USA, we export the surplus at a profit.
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Old 03-25-2008, 07:35 PM
 
8,767 posts, read 18,661,299 times
Reputation: 3525
Quote:
Originally Posted by forest beekeeper View Post
Blood is a huge money maker for our 'non-profit' corporate setup.

I am not finding it right now. But Japan supplies around 10% of it's own needed blood. The rest is imported. Germany supplies around 20% of their own blood, the rest is imported.

The world's biggest exporter of blood products? Is the USA.

The nation who uses the smallest portion of it's own blood supply? USA, we export the surplus at a profit.
Great! Maybe it's time for a review of the Red Cross!
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Old 03-25-2008, 07:35 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,443 posts, read 61,352,754 times
Reputation: 30387
Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinB View Post
If there was a possiblity that you or your family are carriers for any of the diseases that you mentioned, or if someone else is, and is able to give blood... Probably the chance of something happening is very remote.
It routinely takes decades for some diseases to manifest.

And some diseases are not detectable until after they have manifested themselves. Which is why I have been told repeatedly not to give blood. And my Dw has been told this.

Since there is no method of testing the blood to screen it, the system relies on their questioning and the honesty of the donors.
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