By Philip Price

It had been forty years since I donated blood. It was shortly before I left my life in Ireland for a life of adventure overseas in England. I was so busy with a new career that I didn’t think much about giving blood. When I later moved to Alaska in 1999 with my wife and son, I was excited to attend the Alaska State Fair. It was the first American state fair I had ever attended. After riding on a ferris wheel, doing a wax hand, and eating a pork chop on a stick, I saw a blood donation tent and decided to stop in. 

At the tent, I was asked whether I had lived or traveled overseas. Thinking that the interviewers were making small talk, I began to tell them about my life in England when they immediately stopped me, apologized, and told me that I would not be able to donate blood. I was surprised to learn that only a couple of month earlier, the US Food and Drug Administration placed a ban on blood donations from anyone who lived in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1997 because of the risk of contracting the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also called mad cow disease.

I was devastated to learn that I could not donate. I had many friends and loved ones whose lives were saved because of donated blood. Every year at the state fair, I stopped by the blood donation tent, only to be turned away. Over the years I forgot about donating blood and realized that I would have to do good in the world in other ways.

I recently retired from the University of Alaska Anchorage, I joined my wife in dedicating our lives to volunteering. At the age of 75, I became a volunteer for the American Red Cross of Alaska and immediately immersed myself into all things Red Cross, often looking like a senior model for a Red Cross clothing catalog.

Because we were now a Red Cross family, my wife and I decided to visit the organization’s national headquarters during a trip to Washington, D.C. I also found out that the FDA had lifted the blood donor ban on those who lived or traveled within the United Kingdom. As part of my Red Cross experience, I decided to donate blood for the first time in 40 years at the historic Dr. Charles Drew Red Cross Blood and Platelet Donation Center, located in the campus of the Red Cross National Headquarters.

I hadn’t donated blood in 40 years and was nervous. I was never a fan of medical environments, especially when they involved needles. Getting off the metro at the Farragut West station and heading down the streets of office buildings toward my donation destination, the fear began to rise in me. The beautiful white-stoned and tree lined campus of the national headquarters of the America Red Cross quickly allayed my fears. 

As I went down in to the basement level donation center, I was greeted by a friendly reception volunteer and with a pleasant and professional atmosphere. I was taken back for a thorough medical interview and my blood pressure was checked. Twice. The first time, my nerves had gotten the better of me and my reading was a little high. 

Every 15 seconds. As soon as I read those words, I decided to go back two days later to donate platelets.

I found that platelet donation was a more involved process. I was told it would take approximately two hours or more and, when I got there, I was settled into a large medical easy chair with a warm blanket to cover me. A nurse wheeled over a television with a multitude of streaming services to choose from and told me to pick a movie I liked because I would not be able to move my arms for two hours. 

Settling in to my movie selection, the nurse began to attach tubes to both of my arms. Blood was then extracted from one arm, processed through a machine to remove the platelet, and then pumped back into the other arm. My arms had to remain motionless for the entire two hours for this to work. Other than feeling a bit restless from not being able to move for two hours, I felt normal, even more energetic than normal, when the time was up. 

After the tubes were removed and the donation was finished, the Red Cross nurses made me feel like a hero. They praised me for giving my time and platelets and presented me with a beautiful bag and car magnet that recognized my new status as a Red Cross Platelet Donor.

Giving blood and platelets was a moving experience for me. I wanted to donate blood for years, but was not allowed. When I was finally allowed, I was 75 years old and nervous about whether or not I could or should donate blood. If you are like me and on the fence about donating again or for the first time because of nervousness or fear, just remind yourself of me, the nervous Alaskan-Irish Red Cross volunteer gave blood and platelets after 40 years of waiting.

Where to Give Blood

In Alaska, blood donation is not handled by the Red Cross but by the wonderful people at the Blood Bank of Alaska. Please reach out to them bloodbankofalaska.org for more information. 

When you are traveling to the lower 48, you can donate blood and platelets in many Red Cross locations. There are usually promotions going on, so that when you donate blood or platelets, you get a gift, like a Red Cross t-shirt or even Red-Cross/Friends cross promotional socks like I got. Visit redcrossblood.org or install the Red Cross Blood Donor app for more details. 

Feel good. Donate much needed platelets and blood.