This week I went to an LDS ward...for a Red Cross blood drive. I like this location--the RS usually put out fantastic baked goods. But not this time--COVID, and all that.

So they stuck the needle in my arm and depleted yet another pint, my 224th, which equals 28 gallons. (Probably another 5 or 10 not in the Red Cross data base.)

They test for COVID antigens and antibodies. Negative on both.

I very much disapproved of the switch the Red Cross made of not letting you build up a ‘blood bank account’ so that you’d get free blood, up to the amount you’d banked, if you needed it.

It was ‘mormonish’ in the sense that it messed with existing revealed truth.

But overall, I still approve of the Mexican Cruz Roja.

Blood isn't sold or bought up here. There has been talk of people selling it here. But as for now its donated when you give and free when and if you need it.

That's the way it should be.

Dave the Atheist Wrote:
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> That's the way it should be.

I agree.

People don't sell blood here in the US either. Maybe they did at one time. They sell their plasma. The plasma contains a host of components that are separated out and used for various medical purposes. But basic whole blood, and platelets, are not bought and sold as commodities.

When my Grandpa was dying in northern California (he had three kinds of leukemia, very possibly as a result of the chemicals and insecticides he had used virtually all his life in farming), most of my family (including me) donated blood (the psychologically and emotionally toughest thing I had ever done up to that time, or have ever done since).

If I am remembering correctly (this happened decades ago), every pint of blood we donated was credited to his account, pint by pint. (He had a have a complete blood transfusion every few days because, at that point, his body was not making ANYTHING.)

We knew his death was unavoidable, and that we were just buying a bit of time, but all of us were united in letting HIM call "curtain down."

Soon after, he told his doctors he wanted them to stop whatever they were doing and just let him die, which they did, but they planned the timing so that we in southern California could get to northern California to say our good-byes to him before he died.

So my understanding was: when any of us donated a pint of blood (no matter where we physically were when we donated the blood), HE was not charged for a pint of blood he actually received.

As I said, this was a long time ago. I have no idea what the financial details are now.

Yes, that's how it used to work -- you could donate blood on someone else's behalf, or have it credited to yourself in case you ever need it. It sounds like the RC has changed its policy about that.

Here in Seattle & in the PNW, I understand that the RC (I once volunteered in one of their programs as a leader) isn't involved in blood collection or distribution.

I think it's an un-connected org that does that across several counties in Western Washington, IDK about otherwise.

How many mosquitoes could you have fed with that?