Blood donations for a particular patient are called
directed donations. They differ from regular blood donations in two ways:
- The blood goes to the patient you specify if possible. If they end up not needing it during some number of subsequent weeks, or if your blood type and their blood types turn out not to match, the blood will be given to someone else rather than go to waste.
- You can make make directed donations more frequently than you otherwise could, by special arrangement. The normal interval for blood donations is 56 days, but with approval of the doctors, and sometimes with a physical exam, you can donate more often if the donation is directed.
Both of these policies may differ from one blood donation center to the next, so you do want to check ahead of time, as Margie says.
When Ruth was undergoing her transplant, her brother organized a blood and platelet drive and 34 friends and relatives made directed donations of blood or platelets. 15 of the units eventually went to Ruth, and the remaining 19 went to other patients who needed them.