First-time blood donor: 'If you can do it, it's a great thing'

Fat, shining, high-handle-barred bikes rumbled past the dozen-or-so riders who leaned in the shade beside Lawless Harley-Davidson in Scott City on Saturday. They came for the motorcycles, but were waiting to give blood before rejoining the grand opening festivities.

It was the first time for Oak Ridge resident Mike Gwaltney.

"I tried to do this one time when I was 19," he said. "They stuck the needle in, and then I woke up, like, 'What happened?' and they said, 'You passed out.'"

His wife, Angi, who had convinced him to donate, laughed and warned him he had better not faint this time.

"I rode the motorcycle here with you; I have to get home somehow," she teased.

Angi is a nurse and had told her husband about how donating blood can save up to three lives and how hospitals struggle to keep a supply.

"I hear about the shortage all the time, and my wife likes to give blood, so I thought I'd join her," he said.

It's something donor recruitment representative Tara Lincoln is happy to see.

"The summer is a hard time to collect blood," she said. "People are busy or they're on vacation. And on top of that, more people have elective surgeries in the summer and more people are having accidents and need blood."

While Lincoln said she wouldn't necessarily call it a shortage, the Red Cross relies on new donors like Gwaltney to cover the gaps, since donors are only eligible to give every 56 days and red blood cells only keep for 42.

Gwaltney said he wasn't too nervous about the process, and Lincoln assured him it was just a pinch and explained there are many ways to ensure donations go as smoothly as possible.

"We like to tell them to eat a good meal. It's not like a test you get at the doctor; maybe have some red meat beforehand and drink plenty of water," she said. "The more water you drink, the more dilated your veins will be. It'll be easier to find a vein and you'll be done sooner."

Gwaltney apparently had drunk a lot of water.

"The lady stuck me, and turned around and by the time she turned back, I was about halfway done," he said. "I don't know if it was a record or not, but it only took me four minutes and thirty seconds."

And this time, he didn't faint.

"But I still chose not to look, just in case," he said.

Lincoln also said people often presume they are ineligible to give blood.

While there are conditions that disqualify donors, it's not as common as people think. Diabetes, high blood pressure, even a history of cancer doesn't automatically disqualify someone. Lincoln added that if people have been deferred in the past, try again. Since the Red Cross adheres to guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rules change often.

For example, individuals used to have to wait six months after getting tattooed to donate, but since recent sanitation guidelines have been implemented, if the tattoo was done at a licensed shop, then the individual is eligible to donate the next day.

"As long as you're 17 or older -- or 16 with a parental consent form -- and you weigh at least 110 pounds, then it's very likely you'll be eligible to give," Lincoln said.

For Gwaltney, the screening process was worse than the donation itself.

"There was a lot of waiting around, going to this room to read the pamphlets, that room to answer questions. It turns out the finger prick was worse than the needle," he said.

Gwaltney said he plans to continue giving blood now. He understands how much of an effect it can have.

"If you can do it, it's a great thing," he said. "But next time, I'll definitely make an appointment beforehand, that's for sure."

World Blood Donor Day is June 14, and the Red Cross maintains a listing of upcoming blood drives at redcrossblood.org. Among those listed are Monday at Mount Auburn Christian Church, the River Radio-sponsored drive in the parking lot at J.C. Penney on June 13, and the Cape Girardeau Community Blood Drive at the American Red Cross Center on June 16.

tgraef@semissourian.com