Thomas is a dedicated, every-two-week platelet donor at our Providence location. We had the chance to sit down with him and learn more about his story.
When Thomas was 21, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after putting off going to the doctor for some time. “That’s an embarrassing disease at 21, and so I didn’t go as many young people do.” Doctors found he was experiencing some internal bleeding, resulting in anemia which put him in the hospital for a couple of months. His treatment included blood transfusions. “They gave me a blood transfusion and I started improving with each unit. It felt like waking up, I was immediately feeling more sharp and alert and buoyant. I can see why the vampires do it!”
“[receiving a blood transfusion] felt like waking up. I was immediately feeling more sharp and alert and buoyant. I can see why the vampires do it!”
Even though he received blood in the past, it’s not his only reason for donating. When asked about why he has made it a habit of coming so regularly to donate, Thomas noted that in current times, it’s hard to make a big difference as an individual, but this is one of the ways you can have a real positive impact. “[blood transfusion] was useful to me, but something shouldn’t have to matter to you because it was personally beneficial to you. Everyone’s going through some sort of crisis, and there’s so little that we can actually do for each other. If all it takes is a little of my time every couple of weeks, of course I want to do that. This time of year you’re giving a lot of blood to mosquitoes anyway, why not give it to someone in need?”
“Everyone’s going through some sort of crisis, and there’s so little that we can actually do for each other. If all it takes is a little of my time to take a couple of weeks, of course I want to do that.”
Thomas was originally a whole blood donor until one of the staff at Providence educated him about how his blood type would go further with a platelet donation. “I started giving just whole blood because that’s all I knew how to do. I didn’t realize platelets were an option. Then one of the staff at RIBC told me that AB+ was more helpful for platelets than whole blood. If that’s more useful then take that!”
Thomas noted that while platelet donations are a longer process than whole blood, it’s also relaxing and a nice way to have some quiet time as an alternative to sitting at home and watching TV: “For anybody who’s just going to sit on the couch and stream a video anyway, you can do it while making a difference for someone in need. RIBC centers have free Wi-Fi!”