100 Blood Donations and Counting

By Chuck Fannin

Back in 2020, Stanford Blood Center (SBC) did a story about my commitment to blood donation.

Just this past February, I made my 100th donation. The road between then and now was not smooth. The pandemic happened and then a false positive test disqualified me from donations for 15 months. That was a hard time. I really missed the feeling of doing good by donating my regular three units of platelets at each visit. Once I requalified, I immediately got back to donating a couple times per month.

Of my 100 donations, I have a mix:

- Whole blood: 22 times
- SuperRed (formerly Double Red Blood Cell): 17 times
- Platelets: 61 times (most of these were the maximum 3 units)

Why the variety? I started giving whole blood, then was asked by SBC to donate SuperRed, then inevitably asked to donate platelets. I figured the best donation was the one I was asked to make.

All of these amount to more than 10 gallons of blood, and probably several gallons of POG juice consumed after donating. (Yum!)

Of the three types, it takes the most time to donate platelets, but giving a SuperRed takes the most out of me. If you use a heart monitor when working out, the SuperRed makes a difference for a week or more. Don't worry, it always comes back.

I've earned tens of thousands of Donor Store points. I like getting logo merchandise so I can use it as a quiet way to promote blood donation.

Every time I donate, I give thought to whoever will be receiving my platelets, within the next 5 days. It reminds me why this is important.

One of the great things SBC did was open the South Bay donor center in Campbell, literally less than a mile from my home!

One more thing, a shout out to all the great people who work at SBC. Your quiet competence and great attitudes never fail to make it easy, every time.

Now I'm on the road to 200 donations, one donation at a time.

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Stanford Blood Center appointments can be made online at sbcdonor.org, via the SBC app, or by calling 888-723-7831 or texting to 999-777.

Donors should be in good health with no cold, flu, or COVID-19 symptoms. Be sure to eat well prior to donation, drink fluids, and bring a photo ID. Donors must be at least 17 years of age (or 16 with a parent or guardian’s consent). Eligibility information can be found at stanfordbloodcenter.org/eligibility or by calling 888-723-7831.