On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 8:06 PM, Pandu Poluan <pa...@poluan.info> wrote: > > On Nov 5, 2011 6:51 PM, "Mark Knecht" <markkne...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> (I do that a lot because my >> blood is pretty unique.) > > (sorry for the offtopicness, but I really am curious) > > AB+ ? > > Rgds,
Yeah, off topic, and a good first guess. I'm AB+ which makes my plasma universal donor, but I'm also but also CMV- which makes it appropriate for people who have suppressed immune systems. (Newborn babies, AIDS patients, etc.) I've been donating for about 10 years now (since 9/11) and in fact donated both platelets and plasma yesterday afternoon. I'm told that in the U.S. the AB+/CMV- combination makes my type way below 1% in my age group. As a whole blood donor my AB+ can only be used by other AB+ people, but my plasma can be used by anyone. Plasma can be frozen and keeps for up to a year so I'm pretty much assured that everything I donate is used somewhere. I hope anyone reading who doesn't donate will at least consider donating. Even donating once a year is a big help. It's not painful and whole blood donations are easy. I do apheresis which takes longer as it draws my blood, separates the contents, keeps the plasma & platelets and then returns the rest of my blood back to my body. (Spooky!) ;-) Cheers, Mark
