charitable donation

i have been donating platelets at the american red cross for about a year now: pretty much since i moved out here. and i love it. now, some of my friends don't understand why i do this. i can go in up to every 2 weeks, but mostly try to make it once a month. it is a bit time consuming (one donation takes about 1½ to 2½ hours), but among the benefits, i count the following:

1. you save a life, or two, or three, or ... -- platelets are needed for cancer patients and other people undergoing a bone marrow transplant, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment or organ transplant. people with type a+ blood are particularly good donors, and can even give 2 or 3 units in one sitting. that's 2 or 3 lives right there. so you can pat yourself on the back for that.

2. it doesn't really cost you that much -- your body starts replenishing platelets pretty much immediately. within 48 hours, your body's platelets should be completely replenished and you'll be totally back to normal, assuming you were "normal" to begin with. so ... what does it hurt?

3. you get to feel needed -- platelets can only be stored for aout 5 days. so that means they need to keep replenishing that supply. and, as it states on the red cross website, "platelet donors have the satisfaction of knowing that their donation will be saving a life within just a few days." you get to feel needed and satisfied.

4. it keeps you healthy -- i know that when i am planning to go in and donate, i kind of watch what i am eating and make sure i get enough liquids and such a little bit more than normal. in order to give platelets, you have to meet the same good health requirements as for donating whole blood. the thing that always gets me is the iron levels ... so i've learned that for the couple of days before i donate, i need to eat a little more red meat (ha! as if i could possibly eat more beef than normal!), or spinach, or raisins ... i've been learning all kinds of things that have iron in them. and i even find that chocolate has some good iron in it, more than i would expect, considering the bad rap chocolate always gets. it has iron! it's healthy, i tell you!

5. you can catch up on movies -- because the donation takes so long, they let you watch a movie while you are there. the following are just some of the movies i have seen while donating:

   the prestige
   transformers
   girl with the pearl earring
   failure to launch
   the aviator
   premonition
   cinderella man
   an unfinished life
   lord of the rings: two towers
   the illusionist
   x-men 3

   it's a perfect opportunity to see the flick you missed in the theater. my red cross is constantly getting new movies. in fact, i think they just joined netflix, so they can keep up with what's newly coming out.

6. you can catch up on cookie-consumption -- you know how when you give blood, you get to go to the "treats table" afterward and munch on some sugary goodness -- and that's when you just donate whole blood, which takes about 20 minutes -- well, imagine how many cookies they will let you eat (and even take some with you) after your 2-hour donation! i suppose i could include herein a list of some of the snacks i have eaten after donating platelets, too, but i think we'd all get a little sick just thinking about all those calories.

   oh! my red cross just got all new kinds of snacks, too!

i just scheduled an appointment for this saturday (yes, partly because of the new snacks) -- and i think all of you should look up the number for your local american red cross and set up an appointment for yourselves. i went twice last month and i am scheduled to go twice again this month. can you keep up?

now, before i wrap up this post, i have a question. i would definitely consider a platelet donation as "charitable." wouldn't you? so ... do you suppose i can get some sort of deduction for that on my taxes this year? just wonderin' ...

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(to follow-up ... this is what i found at irs.gov. phooey.)