"May" We Tell You You ROCK?! (Remember! Both donors AND NON-donors are stars!)

[DottyG]

Hi y'all, the tallies are updated.  I'm really sorry for not getting that done more quickly.

BUT can I just say that ALL of you are amazing?!  You are so totally terrific!!!

[DottyG]

We have a bit of a problem.  It seems that we have SO MANY incredible people here that we've run out of space in the first post of the thread again!!!  A WONDERFUL problem to have!!!  So, I'm moving part of the tally here to allow us more room in the post.

 
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JULY BLOOD DONATION CHALLENGE TALLY:

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
4 (Dogzard (who has a VERY important message for everyone re: giving during the summer months), Bethczar (who's back to giving!), Just Lori (gave a pint and may be giving platelets soon, too!), kitty_cat (donated again - AND she's another kitty_cat on our site! Welcome!  )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
 (  )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
*

Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* FOUR of Outdoor Girl's coworkers!
* dawbs tried to give, but her iron was a bit too low (I know the feeling, and I empathize,  )
* Reuth is looking into giving after surgery (I have my fingers crossed!)
* Reulz may be giving again soon!
* Our other kitty-cat may be giving again soon!
* Quack (one of our new members) may be giving again soon!

 

JUNE EHELL CHALLENGE TALLY:

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
5 (Snowfire and hubby! Winterlight's iron is up again (I'm jealous! ), nutraxfornerves (who may have found a surefire way to lose weight!  ), Sharnita (platelets - although, I'm sorry the experience affected her badly this time  )  )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
7 (Wolfwench!!!  YEA!!!!  AND 6 more of her coworkers!!! )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
*

Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* Catgal's coworkers gave!  Some couldn't because of a nasty virus, but some were able to give!  One even got a key ring with her blood type on it.
* miss_ann_thrope's community - 574 units IN ONE DAY!!!
 

MAY EHELL CHALLENGE TALLY:

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
13 (Layla Miller (who got a compliment on her iron levels! ), anna_garny's husband and 3 of his coworkers (anna_garny's husband is now a member of Club Red, too)!, FIVE of Outdoor Girl's coworkers!, LynnV (she's back!!!), catgal and her coworkers donated (one was back for her 2nd time and another is back after a few years - WAY TO GO!!!)  )  )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
2 (Two of anna_garny's husband's coworker donated for the FIRST TIME!!!  Congratulations!!!,  )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
*

Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* anna_garny can't give right now, but her husband is her proxy - and I think she still deserves a mention, too!
* codenamekristen can't at the moment, but will as soon as she can!
* Four of catgal's coworkers wanted to give, but a nasty virus prevented them from going.  Hope they feel better soon!


APRIL EHELL CHALLENGE TALLY:

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
28 (Sparrow Bones and her husband!, Winterlight's boss and coworker!, GirlyJock (even though she had a meanie taking it - BUT, that didn't stop our GJ!), Dogzard (who found out that she can donate platelets after all!), nutraxfornerves (who had a GREAT person taking her blood!), Just Lori (HIT HER GALLON MARK!!!), Lynnv (back to giving - even if sporatically until August!), HeebyJeebyLeebee's office had 19 donations!!!! )  )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
0 ( )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
* Eisa is spreading the word about donating - YEA!!!

Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* Sparrow Bones' office donated (drumroll) 21 units!!!
* codenamekristen had a dream that vampires were going to take her blood!  (I think that deserves some kind of mention here!)
* Winterlight tried to give but couldn't this time.  BUT, she got a coworker to donate!
* HeebyJeebyLeebee put an announcement up on her company's internal website!
* Layla Miller signed up for another blood drive!
* kitty-cat can't give at the moment, but she's still willing as soon as she's able to!


MARCH EHELL CHALLENGE TALLY:

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
17 (faithlessone's friend, Zoe, donated (in her words, "Zoe just got back from donating some premium O-. What's your excuse?" - YEA FOR HER!), LynnV's friend had a bad experience in the past, but she's agreed to go with LynnV and try again! (I'm crossing my fingers for you!), Catgal got SIX of her coworkers together and they all gave!  Catgal, unfortunately, was not able to give on that day, but she still ROCKS both for trying and for getting so many other people to give!!!, SIX of Outdoor Girl's coworkers gave (she gave kudos to her coworker for organizing it, but I suspect OG, herself, deserves some kudos here, too  I think she was instrumental in getting this put together!), kam0706 gave on Saturday!, TWO of Outdoor Girl's coworkers donated (they made it just under the wire - March 31!)  )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
1 (Catgal got a FIRST TIME DONOR coworker to give!!!! )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
*

Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* codenamekristen deserves a special mention for her post to me.  Sometimes, I need encouragement, too.  And, I cannot tell you how very special her message was when I read it!
* catgal also posted a very sweet message to cheer me on.  THANK YOU so much!  Y'all are going to make me cry!
* Lynnv may have to either give at another location for a while or wait until she returns home, but the fact that she's still thinking about donating and trying to find a way to give deserves some credit!

FEBRUARY EHELL CHALLENGE TALLY:
FEBRUARY IS BLOOD DONOR MONTH HERE AT EHELL!!!

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
10 (HatStrap (who is looking forward to a recuperating nap!), hyzenthlay (made a slight mess, but that's ok! The floor is cleanable!), hyzenthlay's husband (double donation!), Outdoor Girl's coworker/skiing buddy!, anna_garny's husband! (And, anna_garny would have donated, too, but she's trying to get pregnant - yea!), Winterlight's boss and new coworker!, LynnV (her usual!), codenamekristen's husband (his 34th!), nutraxfornerves (I'm not even going to mention what the lady next to her was doing )   )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
1 (codenamekristen gave for the very first time!!!  I'm so excited for her! Read her account on Pg 65!)) )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
* Bellantara posted a great picture on her FB profile!  It's cool - take a look at Pg 64!!!


Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* Outdoor Girl's dad may NEED blood this week due to hip surgery.  Having donated himself up until age 75, I think it's time he get a pint or two back!  (Although, I'd prefer he not have to need it - I hope his surgery goes perfectly and that he recovers without even the need of a donation.)
* Pharmagal wanted to donate, but her work schedule prevented her from doing so right now.  But, she still gets kudos! Plus, she offered to go in and donate platelets in the meantime (they said they'd like her to wait until they've sucked her blood )!
* RedDwarf wants to give, but tends to get faint when attempting it (don't do that, RD!). But, there are some wise words from our EHellion on Pg 66.


JANUARY EHELL CHALLENGE TALLY:

Returning Donors - YAY TO ALL OF YOU!
42 (LynnV - her first platelet donation for the year (AND, she got a t-shirt out of the deal! Sweet!), Reddie321 and Archer (both back after a year! WELCOME BACK!!!), Bethczar (was so crowded, she had to make an appointment!  I love that!), HeebyJeebyLeebee (her first double RBC donation!), SEVENTEEN of HeebyJeebyLeebee's coworkers!, TWO of Outdoor Girl's coworkers ("the first two donations for the year for the office commitment")!, megswsu (she's back after 10 years!  WELCOME BACK!!!), HatStrap (her first of the year!), snowfire and husband!, FIVE MORE of Outdoor Girl's coworkers!, kitkatswing (was happy to donate!), faithlessone (blood wasn't cooperating, but I think she still gets credit for getting "stuck"!), kitty-cat (with NO problems this time!), Lynnv (her usual platelets!), Lynnv's husband!, Layla Miller (has an important reminder for all of us! See Pg 64!), Tuhis (and the bag filled up quickly!), Winterlight, Winterlight's boss!   )


New Donors - CONGRATULATIONS NEW DONORS!
1 (faithlessone's coworker, HANNA!!!  CONGRATULATIONS!!!) )


Volunteers/People Providing Food for Donors/Etc - Y'ALL ARE SO VITAL TO THE PROCESS!
*

People EHellions Have Told In Their Communities About Donating - YOU ROCK!
*


Other (People who also need recognizing) - WAY TO GO, Y'ALL!
* Layla Miller - scheduled to give on Jan 31 - way to go!  She's going to round out our month!
* Kitty-cat - tried to give, but her veins wouldn't cooperate.  BUT, she's going to guzzle her Gatorade and try, try  again next week!  Perserverance!
* faithlessone is giving next week. AND, she's persuaded her coworker to give, too - FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

[DottyG]

This is a snippet from an email that my blood donation place sent me.  I thought it should be repeated here, because it shows that non-donors are just as important as those who donate.

~~~~~~~~

If you have been told previously by [the local blood donation center] or another blood center that you should never donate blood, you can still help save lives by spreading the word about the importance of blood donation. Please forward this message to family, friends and associates and encourage them to become life saving blood donors. If you recently made a blood donation, or if you have already scheduled an appointment to donate blood, please accept our thanks on behalf of the patients whose lives you may have touched.

[Bethczar]

I forgot add myself on to the list for this month - I gave on 1/5. They were giving out free "donate blood" t-shirts, so now I can stylishly encourage others to give as I stoll down the street. 

[DottyG]

I want a shirt!

YEA Bethczar!  Congratulations!

[Just Lori]

I gave my pint today.  My hemoglobin was right at the cutoff, so yay Flintstone's Vitamins with iron.

Indulge me for a moment, because I'm also excited about another donation I have scheduled January 29.  I will be donating samples of healthy breast tissue to the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank.  This bank was started a few years ago in response to a shortage of healthy breast tissue for ongoing research.  I love that they are swamped with volunteers every time they have a donation event.  As far as I know, this is the only tissue bank of its type, but researchers from all around the world can ask for tissue samples for research.

http://komentissuebank.iu.edu/

It is especially meaningful for me, as a friend of mine who was diagnosed last year celebrates her birthday this month. 

It may be sagging and going south in other ways, but maybe this body is still good for a few things! 

[DottyG]

I love that, JL!  What a wonderful thing to do!!!

[jedikaiti]

We had our office blood drive on Tuesday, but alas my hematocrit level was 1 point too low. Hopefully I can get it back up and stop by the donation center for a quick pint in time to be eligible for the next office drive in March.

BTW, is anyone else here signed up for bone marrow donation? Has anyone actually donated bone marrow?

[Outdoor Girl]

BTW, is anyone else here signed up for bone marrow donation? Has anyone actually donated bone marrow?

I signed up to be on the registry years ago.  I had blood drawn at my regular clinic and they typed 4 of the 6 match points on that.  If you came up as a match for someone, you'd then have to go to a permanent clinic to get blood drawn for typing of the remaining two points.  I did get that call but I wasn't a full 6 point match so I never donated marrow.

And sadly, they won't take mine anymore.

[EngineerChick]

I donated blood this morning.  I came into work and there was a blood drive truck parked in the parking lot!  When I went in, all of the beds were full, as were a couple of seats.  Shortly after I started my paperwork, all of the other seats filled up, and there were 8-10 people in their for the rest of the time I was there (~45 minutes).  They were asking people to come back later, they were so busy.  So, yay for my co-workers and the others who work with us here at the airfield.

BTW, is anyone else here signed up for bone marrow donation? Has anyone actually donated bone marrow?

I signed up on the bone marrow donor registry 5-6 years ago, during a drive a work.  I have never gotten a call from them about donating.

[DottyG]

They were asking people to come back later, they were so busy.

What a TERRIFIC problem to have!!!

My donation center has been putting out frantic emails and news updates that they are really low on O (both pos and neg) blood due to some urgent needs they've had in the past few weeks.  I'm going to try to give this weekend - if my iron level will cooperate.  I hope my center has the same "problem" yours does and it's hard to get in.

[DottyG]

It's that time of the year again, everyone!
 
Just a reminder that you do NOT have to actually donate blood to be a part of this exciting experience.  There are TONS of extremely important things that non-donors can do as well.  Even just posting something about donations on your FB page is huge and can do amazing things!  Please don't think that actually donating blood is all that you can do or all that we care about here.  WE NEED NON-DONORS as well as donors!!!
 
Ok, who's going to start us off this month?
 
 
 

[faithlessone]

I went to try and donate last week, and got told I was too light!!

I've been trying to lose weight over the last year, but I never thought that 118 pounds would be too light - on the Blood.co.uk website it says 110 pounds (7 stone 12) is the cut off. I was right on the boundary (the nurse who talked to me said that they would have let me do it if I was 120), but it seems that unless I want to put on a bit more weight, I'm out.



I am going to send an email inquiry and see if this is the policy, or just a "we do not advise" case, so I'll report back on that.

[DottyG]

No way!  Darn.

Definitely report back on this one.  I'm curious to know what you find out.

(Still adding you to the tally as having tried, though )

[Winterlight]

I'm signed up to donate next Thursday- wish me luck!