I’m Kai Kwong, a recent graduate from Haverford High School and incoming freshman at Temple University, and I wrote an article about donating blood for the first time last year. Recently, I donated platelets for the first time, and I wanted to share about that experience too.

I actually donated whole blood for the second time at my school, just a couple weeks before the platelets. I was looking in my blood donor portal and received a call from the Red Cross asking me to donate platelets. I thought I would try it, so I scheduled an appointment that weekend.

On May 17, I booked an appointment for platelet donation at the Philadelphia Red Cross Blood, Platelet and Plasma Donation Center on Spring Garden Street.

The whole process was very easy and worked the same way as whole blood. I filled out the Rapid Pass, answering its questions, which only took a few minutes.

When I got to the center, I buzzed in and the person at the virtual doorbell let me in and told me where to go, which was to the left of the entrance.

I checked in with the person there and showed my donor ID card in my app. After that I went to health screening, and the person was very kind and explained what was happening. After the blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin checks, I was led to the donation chair.

I was able to select a movie on Netflix to watch during the donation, as it would be a longer process compared to whole blood – nearly three hours in total. I chose to watch “Dune 2” and was loaned a pair of headphones to listen to the movie.

The phlebotomist cleaned my inner elbow regions and used the sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff) as a tourniquet to get the veins to appear. She marked my arms with a little pen for the placement of the IVs. She then used antiseptic scrub for a few seconds and let it dry. After that she inserted the IVs. An important part of platelet donation is that you can’t move your arms at all once the IVs are inserted.

For me, the blood was taken out of my right arm, where it led to the apheresis machine, which separated the blood into components. They kept the platelets and the machine returned everything else back into my left arm.

Like a normal whole blood donation, I had to squeeze a little ball in my hand, on the arm the blood was taken from.

It was a long process, but it wasn’t that uncomfortable. I sat there for the whole donation, which itself was probably a little over two hours. During the donation, I was able to relax and watch the movie, which was apparently the perfect choice because the credits were rolling just as my donation finished.

The phlebotomist was great throughout the whole process and checked on me multiple times. Other phlebotomists in the room also would ask if I was doing alright when they passed by me. I thought that was really nice.

When it's done, they let your fluids finish returning into you, then the tubing is removed and they bandage you like they do after a whole blood donation, with gauze and a red bandage.

I was led to the waiting area stocked with food and water, and was told to wait for 10-15 minutes to make sure I was feeling okay.

I was also given a cool bag that was Red Cross branded and said “Platelet Donor” on the bag. Inside was a few pamphlets with information on what platelet donation does to save lives.

Something I learned about platelet donation is that platelets have to be transfused within five days of donation so new platelet donors are always needed to keep up with the demand for them. Platelets help blood clot, and they help burn and accident victims as well as cancer patients.

Overall, I was very satisfied with my platelet donation, and even though it took a while, I would recommend other people do it. I had an amazing phlebotomist which made the process very easy.

Something that I really liked about donating whole blood and platelets is that I know what it can do to save lives. I want to be a doctor someday and I have been in hospital clinicals before, and I have seen how blood transfusions can benefit people. As a Red Cross communications volunteer, I’ve also talked with people who said how important blood donations are and how much they help.

Though I’ve only given platelets once as of writing this article, I’d still like to give some tips to potential donors: In addition to drinking plenty of water leading up to donating, I’d say if you have long hair make sure it’s comfortable and also do what you need to before the needles are inserted because you cannot move your arms during the donation.

Most importantly, donating blood saves lives, but another bonus was a promotion where donors who gave platelets for the first time in May, received a gift card, and another for giving between May 1 and May 18.

I can’t wait to donate platelets again as soon as I have time, and I plan to give whole blood as soon as I’m allowed to. You can donate platelets every 7 days, up to 24 times a year, and whole blood every 56 days, up to 6 times a year.

If you want to donate, I would highly recommend it. I really liked doing it and it isn’t as hard of a process as one might think. You can make an appointment to donate blood by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross donor app or by calling 1-800-Red-Cross. That’s 1-800-733-2767.

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- Written by Kai Kwong