i want to help someone what can i do
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Good Evening @Crystalynn
Welcome to the Forum, thank you for posting your question.
Infact what a lovely question to ask too! It is always great to know people want to help others.
Blood donations are so incredibly valuable and really do save lives, thank you for bringing this to the Forum.
The best way to help and be advised on how your blood (possibly other blood products/cells) can be used by others is to contact the NHS Blood and Transplant Service.
This is the link to their website and new donor page: whocangiveblood
There are some criteria guidelines for donating, all listed on the website, so please do have a quick read of those; age, health, weight, recent travel and a couple of others - hopefully you are eligible to be a donor.
You could pop along to a donation session near to where you live, these are listed on the website if you put in your postcode.
If you have a smart phone, you can download the NHS Give Blood app and it will tell you dates and times of the nearest session to where you live, as well as telling you where your blood has gone after you donated it!
Please let us know how you get on, if you do go on to donate.
Best Wishes,
Heidi.
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Hi @Crystalynn welcome, oh, what a lovely offer, you have made my day.
@Heidi_BloodCancerUK has answered your question brilliantly.
I wonder if there is a reason behind your question and for contacting Blood Cancer UK specifically?
Look after yourself, and take care.
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Blood Donation popped up on my face book page. I had given blood about 13 years ago, before being diagnosed with MGUS.
Checking on the blood doner page, those with MGUS are not to donate.
All those years ago, when I did give blood that once, my blood really didn’t want to come out of me! Looking back, I wonder if I already had MGUS. But wouldn’t they have checked my blood before using it. If they found MGUS would they not tell you?
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About 30 years before my blood cancer diagnosis I tried to give blood and only bubbles came out, but I was still sent a blood donors card, which I always kept with pride whilst also with feeling a fraud!!!
Sorry that I cannot answer your question.
Great to hear from you and look after yourself
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Hello @Zoom
You have asked a great question about testing blood for donation.
Although to us 13 years ago does not seem that long ago, in terms of research and testing in labs etc, things have really advanced. I can’t say definitely, but I would guess that they wouldn’t have checked for MGUS, as this is a faulty gene and you can’t pass on gene mutations through blood donation - only viruses.
I had a look on the Blood and Transplant website, this page is very interesting: donation testing it outlines all of the viruses they test for and why. I would guess that they don’t accept donations from people with cancers due to possible treatments left in the body and low blood counts. It would get very complex for the testing team.
I do give blood, and am also very, very slow to bleed (usually because I am dehydrated) it once took over 30 mins to get ‘a pint’. Last week I had been drinking much more the day before and on the day, they took the ‘pint’ in 8 mins!! (I did feel quite light-headed afterwards) It may have been that you were dehydrated on the day too, just a thought?! When you have blood tests now, do they say you’re slow to bleed?
If you were very curious, you could contact the Blood and Transplant Service here: Contact Us and ask about your previous donation. Keep us posted if you do 
Best wishes, Heidi.
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Thank you. That’s interesting. When they took bloods for my latest monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) tests I made sure I drank plenty of fluid first. They said it was flowing well. However something wasn’t quite right as she had to keep wiggling the needle as the flow kept stopping. Probably got the edge of my vein.
So you still give blood donations. I will try again.
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