How to Donate Blood, Plasma and Stem Cells
Millions of people donate blood in England, would you like to join us? Some people are not allowed to give blood (including those who have travelled to certain countries or have had recent tattoos, plus there are age and weight limits).
For those who can, it’s pretty quick and simple, and you will either help or save a life.
You can create an account online, then look up your nearest place (take a book, as the clinics are short-staffed so often you have to wait beyond your appointment). You’ll be asked beforehand if you have any medical conditions – you can’t attend even if you have a cough) to save wasted journeys.
On arrival, you will be given a brief health check, and a quick pin-prick test to check for iron levels and any other conditions that would mean you can’t donate that day.
Always have something to eat and drink beforehand, don’t do any strenuous exercise, and don’t drink alcohol or caffeine for a few days before.
You’ll then be taken to a reclining chair, and a nurse or trained professional will watch over you, while a needle is inserted into your arm, and blood is collected for around 15 minutes (you give around a pint, which is a safe amount – your body has 8 to 12 pints of blood.
You then get tea and biscuits/crisps, rest for 20 minutes or so, and then go home and take it easy for the rest of the day.
How Is Your Donated Blood Used?
Once your blood is collected, it’s labelled and sent to a lab, where it’s tested for safety and sorted into:
- Red cells (for anaemia or surgery)
- Plasma (for burns, liver disease, or bleeding disorders)
- Platelets (for cancer treatment or severe bleeding)
These are then delivered to hospitals as needed, and you even receive an email showing where your blood went and how it was used.
For instance, if you have a rare blood type, you may learn that it helped a child with sickle cell anaemia. The blood is usually used within a few weeks, though plasma can be frozen for up to a year.
But remember that common blood types are just as important, as most people have them, so there is a bigger demand overall. Just like putting diesel into a petrol car, it’s important that the right blood type is given to the right patient.
How Plasma Donation Works
You can also donate plasma, which is drawn using a special method that separates this pale yellow liquid from red cells, then returns the rest of the blood to your body. This process takes longer (up to 45 minutes) but again it’s easy and painless.
This has special proteins to help burns and accident victims, or people with bleeding or immune disorders.
Joining the Stem Cell Register
While some people donate blood or plasma, others go a step further by joining the stem cell (bone marrow) register. Once your cheek swab is collected, the team will check your tissues (not just your blood type). Then you could be invited to donate, if there is a match with a blood cancer patient.
If you’re matched through the stem cell registry, staff may ask you to donate bone marrow. You take a course of injections over a few days to boost stem cells, then donate in a way similar to plasma.
To surgically remove bone marrow, this is a minor procedure under general anaesthetic, where doctors collect marrow from your hip bone using a needle. Most donors report some soreness afterwards, but no lasting pain.
