I was in donating plasma today and got reading some pamphlets, did you know only 1 in 30 people donate blood but 1 in 3 will need blood during their lifetime.
It only takes up to an hour or so, you can donate whole blood once every 3 months and plasma every 2 weeks (or whatever suits you).
They will even give you a milkshake and a feed after. You can ring 131495 or go to donateblood.com.au. And no it doesnt even hurt
Also is good to find out blood pressure and iron levels.
If you are a bit of a crazy bugger a beer afterwards really rocks you.
I used to donate whole blood and plasma regularly, but when I tried to donate a few times recently, I found that they wouldn't take it unless I had an appointment.
Sadly, I am flat out getting the same train each day, so making an appointment just means that I end up calling them to cancel, so I haven't donated in ages.
Strangely enough, they seem intent on calling me back and leaving messages for me, but just turning up seems to be frowned upon. I wonder if this has changed the number of people that donate? If they are less organised like me, it probably has.
They say that you need an appointment but I can rarely make one because I don't know from one day to the next if I will be available. I mean there might be some urgent topic on Seabreeze that needs attending to.
Sooo, I usually just rock up and see if they can fit me in. Mostly they can provided I'm not in a rush so that suits me fine. ANd if they can't then that's fine too because I get to keep all my blood and don't get stabbed with a HUGE needle. 
owww 
The only thing that bothers me now is that since I'm so old and decrepit, (not the REAL decrepit, I mean me being decrepit, 
) maybe when they give someone my blood the recipient will contract old persons disease. You know, become grumpy, forget things, drive the wrong way up one way streets, fart in the house, etc etc. I'm sure some of those thing must be contagious.
I'm assured that's not the case and that all ages blood is equally as good, but if ever I get sick, I don't want some old farts worn out blood, I want the blood from some hot young nubile girl or guy that will give me a jump start.
Sometimes when I'm sitting there while they are sucking my corpse almost dry I look across and see some hot young chick across the other side and think "cor I wouldn't mind a pint of hers" 
(oops, sorry.. I don't know what came over me. )
Anyway, Type O positive. Let me know if you need some and I will come and bleed all over you.
Last time I went to give blood they told me to come back in a year.
If you are bitten by a dog you have to wait 3 months.
Get bitten by a human and it's 12months.
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Yeah you would be a bit a mad cow then
Maybe there should be a mad cow blood bank, were only mad cows can make transactions.
No thanks Pweedas, I'm O Negative.
We have to rely on the mobile service where I live. They send me messages asking me to come in and when I call they don't have any appointments available for around 3 months. And no, turning up unannounced means you get turned away. Means they don't get my blood and beign O negative means they beg me but can't accommodate me.
Our local Red+ will happily drain arms which arrive unannounced but they only have the equipment for whole blood - once each 3 months.
I was up to my 75th donation the other day, thought I would get a cup of tea at Government house for services to the community, but all I got was total exhaustion after donating, didn't have any energy for 24+ hrs or more totally zapped, haven't done it since despite the constant calls for my o neg blood, your right its like a Spanish inquisition with the time and incessant questioning before the start of the process. On the other hand...to give is good
Re-mad cow & the bodies wine...
Is the statute of limitations on this when you die?
I think the Qu' was living in UK for 6+ months from 1980??
So what do the pom's do for their donations?
Thought by now that there would be sufficient screening tests.
Doesn't your blood (at least the red bits) turn-over every 120 days (approx)
Not sure about rest but lets say every year a complete cell replacement will have occurred.
The Mad cow link to humans is Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. I think the latest research has it linked to a virus (www.wired.com/2007/01/what-really-cau/ ). I can see a link if someone eats the infected human brain - but not sure I can see the link in the virus remaining in the blood for 20+ years unexpressed.
Would have thought needing to be in the operating theatre requiring blood is far riskier (golden staph - or sh tee hygiene!!) than mad cow vintage blood.
AP
I used to wander into Red Cross in Wellington street every 2 weeks so they could tap into my supply of A+, (apherwotsit?) I always figured that I had more blood than I needed since the stuff keeps trying to escape everytime I head in the general direction of my shed.
Racked up 80 odd visits- but it started to get awkward with the appointment times and rosters at work so my visits started getting less frequent.
They probably wouldnt want me now with the blood pressure and arthritis stuff I am taking- but I reckon that if Red Cross could make it a bit easier for walk-ins they would be getting a lot more donations.
Stephen
transfusion.com.au/
I work in a related blood area (not for directly for the red cross blood service) and all the criteria are on the web site - if your not sure ring the donor centre.
There are some good "info" sheets which explain most of the products restrictions and viral / bacterial risks etc.
Happy reading
While we're on the subject, from the days when a single was the size of a frisbee and spun around just as fast,...
