Can’t give blood yourself? Here are three other ways to support blood donation

If you know how much blood donations benefit cancer patients, you may already be eager to roll up your sleeve.

But what if you’ve been told that you either can’t or shouldn’t give blood? If this describes you, there are several ways you can still support blood donation here at MD Anderson.

We spoke with Adriana Maria Knopfelmacher-Couchonal, M.D., a transfusion medicine specialist in Laboratory Medicine. Here are three tips she shared on how you can help. 

Make sure your blood donation restriction is permanent

The first thing to do is find out why you were told not to donate blood. Was it because you were just temporarily anemic or because you have hepatitis or some other chronic infection? Was it due to a particular medication or a history of travel to certain areas of the world?

It’s important to clarify the reasons because things might have changed since you were told not to donate. For instance:

• Many medications that once would have disqualified you are no longer restricted.
• Deferrals for living in certain countries no longer apply. 
• Even survivors of certain types of cancer are now welcome to donate, provided they’ve finished all their treatments and been cancer-free for at least two years. 

“The list of restricted medications in particular is constantly being updated,” says Knopfelmacher-Couchonal. “So, don’t just assume you can’t give.”

Encourage others to donate blood at MD Anderson

Talk to your friends, family members and colleagues to see if they’ve thought about or might be willing to give blood at MD Anderson Blood Bank. And make sure that they know that donating to MD Anderson Blood Bank is the only way to ensure their donation benefits our cancer patients. 

If they seem open to it, offer to give them a ride or keep them company while they donate. You could even turn it into an excursion by catching a movie or taking them for coffee afterward. The more positive someone’s first experience donating blood is, the more likely it is they’ll want to repeat it. 

You can also mention MD Anderson’s constant need for blood donations on social media and ask people in your networks to share your posts or donate blood. Even easier: Share posts directly from MD Anderson’s official social media accounts.

“Just because you can’t donate personally doesn’t mean you can’t still help,” adds Knopfelmacher-Couchonal. “Never underestimate the power of promotion.” 

Sponsor a blood drive 

MD Anderson Blood Bank depends on community blood drives to help ensure we have enough blood and platelets. Last fiscal year, more than 225 businesses, churches, schools and other organizations across the Greater Houston area hosted blood drives to benefit MD Anderson. Those efforts yielded more than 20,600 units for our patients, or 69% of all successful blood product donations. 

But if your company or place of worship doesn’t already host a regular blood drive, you could be the one to set it up. 

If you’re a manager at your workplace, alert your staff and colleagues well in advance, so that anyone who wants to participate can block out time in their schedules to do so. Then, send out weekly email reminders to catch any stragglers.

If your organization already hosts a regular blood drive for MD Anderson Blood Bank, you can help recruit participants. Post fliers or hang banners in high-traffic areas, and ask everyone you know if they’ve already made plans to donate. If not, encourage them to do so. Wear a blood donor T-shirt or a lapel pin that says, “Ask me about blood donation!” Then, share the reasons why you got involved with anyone who asks. 

“Almost everyone knows someone whose life has been touched by cancer,” explains Knopfelmacher-Couchonal. “Personalizing your story might be the final push someone needs to donate at MD Anderson.”

Schedule an appointment to donate blood at MD Anderson Blood Bank.