Apparently I’m Safe

For years I gave blood regularly because I have O negative, the universal donor. Then we lived in London during the mad cow era. I was banned from giving blood for the fear that mad cow disease was laying dormant in me, waiting to make me crazy and anyone else who got my blood. After the spread of HIV in the early days from tainted blood transfusions I completely understood the better safe than sorry attitude.

When cows were falling over in the fields in England during the early 90’s it was a scary sight. I gave up eating any ground meat in the UK, just in case. See, they thought that the grinding of beef from a sick cow was the way to spread mad cow to humans. The UK cleaned up the system that let sick cows get in the food chain and now it is probably the safest place to eat beef.

Sometime last year the American Red Cross stopped the ban of blood from people who had visited the UK in the late 80’s to late 90’s and suddenly my blood was desirable again. I donated at a church blood drive in the late fall and as soon as eight weeks after I started being bombarded with messages, “Please donate blood.” Phone calls, texts and emails came in with force. Just to stop the phone from ringing I gave blood again today and so did Russ in solidarity.

I think I am going to have to be proactive and sign up every eight weeks just so my name does not come up in the database to bother me. It’s not hard to give blood, especially since the donation center is five minutes from our house. I arrived at the time of my appointment and I was out exactly one hour later.

It appeared that every giving slot was full and they were pumping the people through. I hope that all these people giving will fill the supply back up after the big lull in donating during the holidays.

I am just happy that the likelihood that I have Mad Cow is so low. I would hate to lose my mind that way.