I signed up to be a blood donor when I was 17 – motivated at least as much by the chance of time off school as by the idea of helping others.
I carried on giving blood fairly regularly, except when I was pregnant or feeding babies, and in later years was prompted by the knowledge that I’d been helped by someone else’s blood the day our daughter way born.
Then I was told I couldn’t be a donor any more.
I’d been in Britain in the 1980s and the New Zealand Blood Service didn’t want my blood in case I’d contracted mad cow disease.
I’d still be giving if I could but since I can’t I’m making a plea on World Blood Donor day for those who can to do so.
Homepaddock 
Yes – I always wanted to give blood, but couldn’t when I was younger as I was under the weight limit – then after my baby was born I gained a little weight ant it stayed on, but was again rejected because of living in the UK in the ’80’s.
Still leaves a bad taste, as it is something I would really like to do.
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As one of the smaller blood groups, only discovered in my forties, I was very happy to donate in the hope that others of my group will reciprocate but alas age and medications have finally ruled me out.
When we lived near Masterton I was often rung and asked if I was coming to town and the periods between donations was only governed by my red cell count, no relation to frequency and received a snifter courtesy of the licencing trust to boot.
I was totally gutted when a mobile collection unit turned me away here in paradise as it was 2 days inside the 90 day rules and the computor program would not print the required labels.
On another occasion I went out of my way to go to the Riccarton collection center and was turned away as I had no appointment. I think the rules and processes while necessary for safety are far too rigid and the attitudes of staff often imho appear as if the badly needed donor is just a nuisance and interrupts their very busy day.
I always found the giving of blood rewarding and cathartic as I claimed every pint I donated removed a 5th of my volume of cholestoral laden bad blood and gave me the chance to replace it with shiney new blood, hahaha.
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Gave once in teens, never again. Paperwork disappeared into maw of local hospital, never to re-surface. Was less than impressed with bureaucratic nonsense required to sign up for a second time so told them to stick it.
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HP the only time you show any symptoms of mad cow disease is with the Monday quiz. Today being no exception by the look of things.
For the rest of the week your posts are sane and lucid.
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You and me both!! But I had also been giving for many years before I was stopped because of my being in Britain in the early 80s. Miss the coffee and bikies and wonder what is happening top those who were recipients of my blood before I got found out!!
Bloody waste.. ( sorry, couldn’t help it!)
And I don’t even know how to spell Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease!
Now let’s have a look at the Monday Quiz!
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P T just do what everyone else does and refer to it as C J D.
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