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Platelet Donation
September 26, 2008 |
Donating platelets can look like hard work. But Kevin Williamson says that’s not
the case. “It’s kind of a rest period for me every other week,” he says.
Nancy Hendrick is a program coordinator for Lee Memorial Blood Center. She says,
“Platelet donation is a safe donation. Its a little bit more time and people
actually have to volunteer their time to come here.” It can take up to two hours
to complete a full platelet donation. “It’s simple. You sit there, you relax,
you can listen to music. They get a solution back to hydrate themselves.”
Kevin says not only is donating platelets a relaxing process for him but he also
feels that it’s good for his body. “I think it’s good for you healthy-wise too.
I know giving blood in general is a good thing and platelets too. It makes your
body respond and rebuild the blood platelet count.”
MMany patients, especially those with cancer, lose the ability to create new
platelets every few days. This means many of them depend on platelet donations
to fight the disease. “We need more frequent donors, we need consistent doors.
We need donors to understand the need.” Most leukemia patients need platelet
transfusions about every five days so it’s recommended that platelet donors try
to donate every two weeks.
Good platelet donors have high platelet counts and strong, healthy veins.
TThe staff at the Lee Memorial Blood Center also offers some big incentives to
become a platelet donor. Depending on how many times you donate, you can earn
prizes like gas cards and mall gift certificates. |
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