I stepped out of my comfort zone this week. A friend of mine told my roommate and me about how she donated plasma the previous week and how simple the whole process was.
I’ve never been a big fan of needles, but I also have never been terribly afraid.
The idea of something going back into my body, though ... that was what wigged me out the most. I couldn’t even think about having blood sent into my arm through a tube without shuddering.
Watching people give blood at blood drives, or even watching someone receive a shot, could make me cringe, as if a tarantula had just crawled past my toes.
When compared to the benefits of donating plasma, though, I became less squeamish and more interested.
I discovered that America is the leading country in plasma supply. This is because incentives come with donation in many places.
Locations that offer donations typically offer money reward for the time it takes to donate, as well as for the plasma itself. I figured the reward would be about ten or fifteen dollars, but most places go for fifty dollars a donation — or at least around that range.
Fifty dollars just to sit and watch blood leave your body then get it back? I could get past my fears for that.
It’s very important to for medical officials to have plasma because it holds infection-fighting cells and helps rebuild an immune system. People who have suffered blood loss trauma greatly need plasma donation as well as blood donation.
Donating helps your health as well as other people’s health. When you donate plasma, you are removing the white blood cells from your blood stream. This causes your body to produce more white blood cells, thus recycling and renewing your circulatory system every time you donate.
On top of which, the process to determine if you can donate requires testing for specific diseases that can be transferred through blood. If you were unaware of having such a disease, you would learn at the screening.
Also, if you become a regular donor, the screenings are basically regular checkups on your circulatory system.
Of course, there is always a negative side to something good.
After donation, you will feel fatigued or dehydrated and even sick. You have just removed and replaced a pretty large amount of blood.
I donated 690 milliliters when I went this week. It may not sound like a lot, but if you sit and watch it leave like I did, it changes your mind about how much you are donating.
If you decide to become a donor, you have to donate at least twice in order for your plasma to be usable. A good chunk of your first donation goes to testing and sampling to determine if it is safe to use.
Before I could donate, I had to answer several questions. Some of them are mundane, but others are more serious and more intrusive. Just like with donating blood, if you are a homosexual male, you cannot donate plasma.
It’s sad to think about not being able to help others just because of your lifestyle or sexual preferences, but in the past, many gay men did not know they carried HIV/AIDS and ended up spreading it.
Overall, I had a pretty great experience with donating. I felt good afterwards, too. Not only was I helping other people, but I had found a quick way to make some extra cash each month.
I highly recommend donating if you are able to. It helps so many people as well as yourself.
Also, then you can tell your parents you sold (parts of) your body in college.
mmgarbac@indiana.edu
