So yesterday I came in my first ever plasma donation! It was an amazing experience and I'd love to share for those hesitant about it. And feel free to message me if you have more questions.
I scheduled an appointment, however, you can just walk-in. I gave the name of the person who referred me, signed in, and presented my drivers license and social security card (you must present proof address / ID / proof of SSN).
I was amazed and how clean and organized the facility is (as it should be a sterile environment- indeed it was!). One strange thing I found though was that literally every clock I looked at was wrong so if you need to know the time, check your own phone or watch haha!
For your first appointment, you'll want to have about 3 hours set aside because you do have to go through prescreening to make sure you are a healthy donor so to speak. They'll have you watch a video about the process, answer questions to make sure you qualify (for example, you can't donate if you AIDS or if you're at high-risk for certain blood diseases like AIDS or hepatitis such as an intravenous drug user. You'll get a little finger prick to test your blood, and a little physical too like checking your heartbeat, lymph nodes, etc. easy stuff. You'll also go over your medication.
Next you'll be taken to a super comfy chair for the process. Everyone takes a different amount of time (30-90 mins average). My draw took one hour. It will go through a couple of cycles of withdrawing blood, separating the plasma, and then putting the red blood cells back to you. Super easy. I just laid their with my ear buds in listening to a podcast and scrolling instagram and the time flew by.
The staff was so knowledgeable, friendly, and professional.
Not only are you saving lives by donating plasma, you're also treating yourself by earning money. You earn money each donation (right now it's $100 per donation (not a gift card!!) for the first 8 donations), you can earn money referring people (contact me if you'd like, I can give you my name and an extra $5 bonus for you!, you can earn bonus money, you can also earn points in their rewards program that you can redeem for a gift card with certain companies like Subway or Home Depot for example). It's a win-win for everybody!
After years of contemplating donating, I'm so glad I took the leap and did it. I helped someone else earn money through the referral, I made my $100, and I feel good knowing my plasma is going to be saving lives! I'll be going back again and again.
Tip: make sure you're very hydrated and that you ate a nutritious meal! read more