Blood Donation – Signed up!

Well, I have completed the first stage of the process. I have been on the ‘Give Blood’ website and registered. I have also selected my first donation session. The whole thing took just minutes to do and now there is nothing to stop me. I will be assigned an appointment time in the coming days for a session at the local community centre. Dead easy!

I must confess that I am now looking at Lorne products in a different way. This time, it’s personal. I can hardly pass by Lorne blood grouping reagents or the blood bank fridge without thinking about my own donation and the part that these products will play in the process. My blood will be screened and grouped (I am going to have to ask for as much detail as possible about my blood group profile) and then it will be stored in a blood bank fridge until it is ready for use.

The website (www.blood.co.uk) has some very interesting information, including the basics of blood groups and the history of blood transfusion. I was impressed by the graphical information about the very latest blood stocks being held by the NHS Blood & Transplant. The most interesting feature is a video showing the journey of blood from donation to transfusion. I thoroughly recommend it!
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