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Platelet Donor Are You The Perfect Type? Are you a donor with
blood type of A, B or AB? Are you the type of person who cares about those in
need? Then you are the perfect type! On behalf of patients throughout the Bay
Area, American Red Cross is asking you to consider becoming the perfect type
of donor- an APHERESIS PLATELET DONOR. What is so special about being an apheresis platelet donor? Apheresis platelet donors are special universal donors! When you donate your platelets, you are donating for critically ill children and adults, fighting cancer, leukemia, aplastic anemia and many other life threatening diseases. Your platelet donation can also help a patient undergoing surgery. Many chemotherapy patents are unable to produce enough platelets on their own due to the intense treatment. Your donation can and does make a difference for these patients. What are platelets? How much time will it take? Platelets are the cells in your blood that help with clotting. Healthy blood donors have many platelets in their bodies. It takes the platelets from 12-16 whole blood donations to equal the number of platelets you can donate in one visit to our apheresis center – about two hours from beginning to end. How do you get them from me? The collection process is very different from giving whole blood. You will relax in a comfortable bed. Blood is drawn from one arm and sent through sterile single use tubing, which lines the apheresis machine. The machine spins the blood and separates some of your platelets from the rest of your blood. The remaining blood is returned to you through your other arm. While you donate platelets, you can relax and enjoy a movie from our wide selection…. Or bring your own. You'll feel fine. You'll feel perfect… because you are! The donation does not significantly decrease the number of platelets in your body. You won't experience any bleeding problems due to donating. Because your body replaces the donated platelets very quickly, you can donate platelets more frequently than Whole Blood – as often as every two weeks, up to 24 times a year! There's a critically ill patient waiting for you… will you consider the apheresis platelet program? Interested? We want to discuss the process more with you! With donation centers in Pleasant Hill, Oakland and San Jose, we're ready to meet you, discuss the process, assure you have an adequate supply of platelets through taking a blood sample and show you more about the apheresis platelet program. Contact us for more information! If you
have questions, please contact Art Bruns. He can be reached via |
