Sorority Urged Members to Lie in Blood Drive

[deuika]

Originally posted by ASTLuv21
Personally, the way I see it, being a nursing major, it's a big deal. A person should not lie and say they can donate blood. It's not safe and their blood can cause serious problems and even death. If you know you cannot donate blood due to a recent tattoo or peircing, try getting someone who can donate to go in your place. Also, many people do not know how long you have to wait once getting a new tattoo or peircing, you have to wait a whole year. I also find it not so nice to give blood and then tell the nurse that they can't use it due to an issue. If just puts a damper on the nurse and the rest of the employees at Red Cross. Those nurses go home everyday after a blood drive knowing how many pints of blood that was taken and know how many lives that saves but if they have so many people saying that you can't use their blood, just puts a huge damper on their day. If you know you cannot give blood for sure, don't lie and do so instead bring someone who can in your place.

I Concur WholeHeartedly

But I wonder, will she be penalized for this?

[ASTLuv21]

Originally posted by deuika
I Concur WholeHeartedly

But I wonder, will she be penalized for this?

I don't think they can penalize her for this. But what she did was wrong and hopefully by this media coverage she will realize what she did was wrong and should make a comment about her actions along w/an apology. Thats only my opinion tho on what she should do.

[GammaPhiBabe]

I have a total phobia about needles. If someone told me that I had to donate blood, (unless it was for a specific use, i.e. a close friend or relative was in an accident), I would tell them to go stick themselves! I'm all for sorority spirit and for friendly competition amongst the houses, but I don't think that people who don't want to give blood, or who know their blood may be unsafe are going to be bullied into it.

[honeychile]

FYI, on our campus, we were told to give blood or to find someone to give for you. Also, since the Blood Drive was 60 days long and you can donate every 57 days, there were quite a few of us who donated on the first and last days. Those who gave twice (or raised twice our per capita goal for charity) were called "Double Dippers" - a high honor in my chapter.

Frankly, I think the writer was just overly exurberant - under NO circumstance should anyone lie when it comes to medical conditions!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Does anyone know the reasoning behind no tattoos/piercings? I realize that they can spread bloodborne diseases, but it is not like those diseases magically go away in a year.

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Does anyone know the reasoning behind no tattoos/piercings? I realize that they can spread bloodborne diseases, but it is not like those diseases magically go away in a year.

that's what i was wondering....


we also had one of these fundraisers/blood drives too. The school REALLY wanted to break the record for some reason. We didn't even come close.
A lot of my girls are underweight. But that didn't stop one of them. She gave half a pint instead of the full thing. Others were just iron deficient.

i somehow always end up really sick during blood drives.

[deuika]

When a person receives a tattoo or has an ear or body part pierced, there is an opportunity to come into contact with someone else's blood. This puts the recipient of the tattoo or piercing at risk of contracting a transmissible disease. For this reason, both FDA and American Red Cross regulations require deferral of their blood donation for 12 months following the incident

http://arkabahce.ada.net.tr/eskiweb/kan/mail4.html

[thetalady]

Originally posted by DeltaBetaBaby
Does anyone know the reasoning behind no tattoos/piercings? I realize that they can spread bloodborne diseases, but it is not like those diseases magically go away in a year.

Some diseases cannot be detected by current testing measures if the person was recently infected. If the disease or virus has a year to incubate, the person either becomes symptomatic (shows signs of the infection) or blood tests can detect it.

[wishinhopin]

I'm sure there's a really obvious reason for this, but why would someone give blood and then immediately say not to use it? What's the point? Here's some of my blood, but you can't do anything with it...seems like that person might as well have kept it for the only person that could use it (themself). As for the one year thing...I know that they test blood before they donate it to new patients, but some diseases (like HIV/AIDS) can take up to 6 months to appear on tests. So they probably just want a really liberal window to ensure that life threatening diseases don't get inaverdently passed on to other people.

[honeychile]

With the various forms of hepatitis becoming some of the fastest spreading diseases in the country, I would imagine that the Blood Banks are more worried about that. Hep C, even when dried, is active for up to 7 days afterwards.

The blood is also divided into so many sub-uses, and some of the parts of the blood doesn't show a disease as well as others. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong - Please! - but I think that for some parts (I'm thinking plasma in particular), the disease factor isn't as big a deal.

For those who are sqeamish, I would encourage you to read Journey, the biography of Robert Massie, who ran for lt. governor of Massachusetts several years ago. He is a hemopheliac, and the look into his life changed my view on giving blood forever! I am proud to say that I'm in the Quart Club!!

[GammaPhiBabe]

For those who are sqeamish...

lol, honeychile! I am beyond squeamish. In fact, I am 28 and have only had blood drawn (at the doctor's office) twice in my whole life. The last time I had a shot was 10 years ago, and I passed out before I could walk out of the room. The whole idea of giving blood makes my head spin... in fact, I don't know how I've made it through reading this thread!! I have been known to avoid entire sections of the campus where blood drives are being held, just so no one will ask me to donate. I'm not proud of it...I wish I weren't like this. But it is a total phobia.

*shudder* I think I need to go lie down now!

[kk_bama]

I shudder to think what one of my sisters, a graduating nursing major, would think if she saw this!

I think the girl who sent the e-mail just made an honest mistake. I know competitiveness during Greek Week, Homecoming, etc. at some schools is crazy, including my own. A simple apology should suffice, not only to the Red Cross, but to her chapter as well. And as a Gamma Phi sister, I hope this doesn't result in anything too serious for the girl who sent the e-mail.

[AXJules]

Originally posted by wishinhopin
I'm sure there's a really obvious reason for this, but why would someone give blood and then immediately say not to use it? What's the point?

Because your house gets points if you're on time and donate- therefore you could win Greek Week.

[wishinhopin]

I guess I just meant in general why would that option even be available. Although I guess it makes sense that someone could deny the use of their blood within some period of time after donation. But seriously that's lame, I don't approve. Mmkay that's all I have to say about that I suppose.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by wishinhopin
I guess I just meant in general why would that option even be available. Although I guess it makes sense that someone could deny the use of their blood within some period of time after donation. But seriously that's lame, I don't approve. Mmkay that's all I have to say about that I suppose.

It's for in situations like this - I chaired a blood drive in high school. That way people don't have to make up an excuse not to donate but the supply won't be tainted. People feel very pressured to donate but may not want to admit that they've had sex with a man who's had sex with other men since 1987, so this ensures that they won't be publicly humiliated.