(Alex Wolfe with CBCNJ CEO Jim Gosnay)
I had never donated blood before.
I have an irrationally strong fear of needles.
I always told myself, “Eh, it doesn’t matter if I give blood, I’m sure there are plenty of other people that do it that make up for me.”
Not until recently did I realize that most of my thoughts about donating blood were completely out of touch.
My name is Alex Wolfe, and I’m a journalism major at The College of New Jersey and currently interning in the Public Relations Department here at Community Blood Council of New Jersey. I recently (be it reluctantly, at first) gave blood for the first time at CBCNJ. I gave blood using the ALYX machine, a device that separates red blood cells from plasma and returns plasma to the donor. All in all, it takes about twice as many red blood cells as whole blood donations, but replenishes your body with the plasma and a saline solution, which compensates for the greater amount of cells being taken. Penny Moyer, Director of Donor Services at CBCNJ, explained the difference between ALYX and a whole blood donation to me.
“With a whole blood unit, you get a unit of red blood cells, you get a unit of fresh frozen plasma, which are both very important,” Moyer said. “And also with whole blood, you can get a unit of platelets. So there’s a lot of marketing out there that says ‘one donation can save three lives,’ and that’s why, because you get a unit of red blood cells, a unit of plasma, and a unit of platelets from one whole blood donation. However, on ALYX, we can target specific blood types that we’re typically low on, that we run short on, and we can bring those donors in here and get two units (of red blood cells) to help our patients within the community immediately.”
But what exactly am I giving when I use the ALYX machine? And what makes it better than a whole blood donation for me, the donor? Penny explained that to me as well.
“The instrument itself has the capability of collecting fresh frozen plasma as well, so we can collect two to three units of fresh frozen plasma from one donor, whereas a whole blood donor can only give one unit,” Penny said. “Some other benefits, on the donor side, it’s a smaller needle than whole blood, which donors like to hear. Another piece for the donor would be we’re not calling as frequently, because when you donate two units of red blood cells you can only donate every four months, so the frequency of us calling you goes down as well. The third thing that’s beneficial to a donor giving on the ALYX instrument would be that we’re actually giving you saline back. So we’re keeping you hydrated as you donate, and you probably leave us more hydrated than you were when you first came in.”
The process was easy as could be. I went in, was handed lots of snacks and drinks to get me ready for my donation, and the donation itself was literally painless. It took me about 25 minutes (although a whole blood donation only takes about 10) and I was barely aware that any blood was being taken. Afterwards, I got more snacks and juice to replenish myself, and I left feeling just as good as when I came. I’m eligible to donate again in May, and I will definitely be back after my great experience here.
