Well I made my first visit to the Farmington Red Cross for blood platelet donation. It turns out they collect plasma and platelets the first visit. It allows them to count your platelets. With this number they can give you an estimate of how long it will take for them to collect your platelets based on your platelet count and your height/weight. It was no big deal, just like donating whole blood. The needle is slightly smaller than the one they use for whole blood collection. The machine draws your blood, seperates the plasma, and returns everything back to you. After the plasma is collected, they give you some saline to replace the fluids removed. It took about a half an hour, and they had TV's with headphones playing movies. In between collections, all tubing and containers that your blood comes in contact with on the machine are replaced with sterile disposable ones. The plasma and platelets removed are replaced by your body in just a couple days, allowing you to donate up to 23 times per year (every 2 weeks). It was a fulfilling experience and I look forward to my next visit.

     Any one interesting in becoming a platelet or plasma donor, please contact Judy Hughes at (860) 678-2749, American Red Cross Blood Services, Connecticut Region, Farmington, CT.