A Nice Surprise

[ffutures]

Just getting ready to go to work when the doorbell rang. Ran downstairs, it's the postman with a package for me.

Turns out to be my award for giving blood 75 times, a rather nice crystal plate (photo below the cut)





Now I've gotta dash, because I'm now VERY late!

Comments

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

That's an accomplishment to be proud of.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how old you're supposed to be when you stop, but I'm hoping to make 100 donations first. 24 to go now, since I've given blood once since the 75.

There was an awards ceremony and lunch a few weeks ago, which I unfortunately couldn't attend. But I suspect that a large group of people who have nothing in common except having given lots of blood would have been a little on the boring side.

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

I'd love to give more often than I do. It just makes me feel crappy for three days unless I do nothing for three days -- sometimes if it works out that I know I am going to lay low for a weekend, I'll plan a donation. If it didn't hit me so hard, I'd be haunting every blood drive.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Never seems to affect me much, I suspect because I'm overweight so it's a proportionally smaller blood loss.

[doctor-toc.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! That's a nice plate.

I used to give blood all the time (and then go for a pint afterwards. Wheeee!). I used to feel really good about it.

Then I moved to the States and suddenly my blood's not good enough for them. Bugger's won't take it because of the whole Mad Cow thing. Forget the fact that Mad Cow disease has happened over here too. They're always whining about needing blood, I'm willing to give it, and they won't take it. They'll take it from junkies, but they won't take it from me. If you think that makes me angry, you're not wrong.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

It is nice - makes you feel really altruistic and smug for a few hours.

As to the mad cow thing, back around Sept. 11th 2001 a lot of people offered to give blood and were turned away for this reason; as it turns out huge amounts of blood weren't needed, but rejecting blood because there is a tiny chance that someone will die 40 or 50 years down the line strikes me as crazy.