4 ms·

Anyone else find it odd that he can't donate spare blood for himself? It seems unfair.

Heliosmaster 12y ago
In the article it's mentioned that he donates blood for himself twice a year, and that everytime someone asks for his blood it's taken from "his" reserve, making a more-so difficult choice.
nicholassmith 12y ago
It's possibly slightly unfair that he's not allowed his own 'stash', but he can only donate a certain amount per year and it seems like it's in demand, and apparently it can only be stored for 42 days (according to a very quick Google search).
- masklinn 12y ago
  > It's possibly slightly unfair that he's not allowed his own 'stash' He is allowed his own stash. > it can only be stored for 42 days Fresh blood can be kept 42 days at 4C, blood can also be frozen and kept for decades (at -80C) or more (virtually indefinitely at -196C) but thawed blood must be used within 48h.
  - yourapostasy 12y ago
    I am not aware of whole blood cryostorage for use in transfusions after thawing from -196° C, can you please point me to the literature on this? What I could find via Google searching referred to specimen cryopreservation at this liquid nitrogen-low temperature, and retrieval for future analysis and umbilical cord/placental banking for stem cell retrieval, but not for whole blood banking.
    - masklinn 12y ago
      It's not whole-blood it's RBC: http://www.sanquin.nl/en/products-services/blood-products/sanquin-bank-of-frozen-blood/ http://www.sanquin.nl/en/products-services/blood-products/sa... AFAIK modern transfusions don't generally use whole-blood, and RBC are by far the most important component for rare blood types issue.
  - tnorthcutt 12y ago
    He is allowed his own stash. Source? The article seemed to indicate that he must permit any blood he donates to be used for other people, thereby implying he may not reserve any of it for himself.
    - ars 12y ago
      No, I read it as that he donates for himself, but if someone needs blood, and he allows it, they take from his pool reducing what is available for himself.
      - SolarNet 12y ago
        No it clearly says that if donates blood he "has to allow anyone" to use it. Which is clearly backed up with the next line stating: He must rely on other Rh_null donors if he needs blood.
masklinn 12y ago
The article specifically mentions that he can and has since he turned 18: > When he turned 18, Thomas was encouraged to donate blood for himself. There is now no frozen blood bank in Switzerland, so his blood is stored in the rare blood banks in Paris and Amsterdam. And that his approval is required for doctors to draw into his "personal stash": > Since his blood can be given to anyone with a negative Rh blood type, Thomas could save countless lives. But if he ever needs blood himself, he can receive only Rhnull blood. If he donates a unit for himself, he has to permit it to be used by anyone else who might need it. The article strongly hints that donations for third parties are not stored in blood banks but donated directly (because fresh blood can be kept for much longer, frozen blood has to be used within 4 days of thawing)
- function_seven 12y ago
  > If he donates a unit for himself, he has to permit it to be used by anyone else who might need it. That sentence could have been worded better. This is the way I read it: If he donates a unit for himself, he must allow it to be used by anyone else who might need it.
  - ceejayoz 12y ago
    I read it as him having a separate personal bank of blood units, that are reserved for his use unless he gives them permission to take from it.
    - antimagic 12y ago
      He has to permit anyone - in other words they're not really asking him permission. I read that sentence to mean that he doesn't actually have any say over who gets to use his blood.
      - ars 12y ago
        No, you are reading that incorrectly. You should email the author and ask him to rephrase it.

In the article it's mentioned that he donates blood for himself twice a year, and that everytime someone asks for his blood it's taken from "his" reserve, making a more-so difficult choice.

nicholassmith 12y ago

It's possibly slightly unfair that he's not allowed his own 'stash', but he can only donate a certain amount per year and it seems like it's in demand, and apparently it can only be stored for 42 days (according to a very quick Google search).

masklinn 12y ago
> It's possibly slightly unfair that he's not allowed his own 'stash' He is allowed his own stash. > it can only be stored for 42 days Fresh blood can be kept 42 days at 4C, blood can also be frozen and kept for decades (at -80C) or more (virtually indefinitely at -196C) but thawed blood must be used within 48h.
- yourapostasy 12y ago
  I am not aware of whole blood cryostorage for use in transfusions after thawing from -196° C, can you please point me to the literature on this? What I could find via Google searching referred to specimen cryopreservation at this liquid nitrogen-low temperature, and retrieval for future analysis and umbilical cord/placental banking for stem cell retrieval, but not for whole blood banking.
  - masklinn 12y ago
    It's not whole-blood it's RBC: http://www.sanquin.nl/en/products-services/blood-products/sanquin-bank-of-frozen-blood/ http://www.sanquin.nl/en/products-services/blood-products/sa... AFAIK modern transfusions don't generally use whole-blood, and RBC are by far the most important component for rare blood types issue.
- tnorthcutt 12y ago
  He is allowed his own stash. Source? The article seemed to indicate that he must permit any blood he donates to be used for other people, thereby implying he may not reserve any of it for himself.
  - ars 12y ago
    No, I read it as that he donates for himself, but if someone needs blood, and he allows it, they take from his pool reducing what is available for himself.
    - SolarNet 12y ago
      No it clearly says that if donates blood he "has to allow anyone" to use it. Which is clearly backed up with the next line stating: He must rely on other Rh_null donors if he needs blood.

masklinn 12y ago

The article specifically mentions that he can and has since he turned 18: > When he turned 18, Thomas was encouraged to donate blood for himself. There is now no frozen blood bank in Switzerland, so his blood is stored in the rare blood banks in Paris and Amsterdam. And that his approval is required for doctors to draw into his "personal stash": > Since his blood can be given to anyone with a negative Rh blood type, Thomas could save countless lives. But if he ever needs blood himself, he can receive only Rhnull blood. If he donates a unit for himself, he has to permit it to be used by anyone else who might need it. The article strongly hints that donations for third parties are not stored in blood banks but donated directly (because fresh blood can be kept for much longer, frozen blood has to be used within 4 days of thawing)

function_seven 12y ago
> If he donates a unit for himself, he has to permit it to be used by anyone else who might need it. That sentence could have been worded better. This is the way I read it: If he donates a unit for himself, he must allow it to be used by anyone else who might need it.
- ceejayoz 12y ago
  I read it as him having a separate personal bank of blood units, that are reserved for his use unless he gives them permission to take from it.
  - antimagic 12y ago
    He has to permit anyone - in other words they're not really asking him permission. I read that sentence to mean that he doesn't actually have any say over who gets to use his blood.
    - ars 12y ago
      No, you are reading that incorrectly. You should email the author and ask him to rephrase it.