Thinking about donation may bring up some painful feelings. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The 2SGBTQ+ communities have had a long and painful history with Canadian Blood Services. Find support resources here.
Ideas from the community about how to make the donation process even better
From our interviews with the community, guys suggested:
- Think about how your donations would show Canadian Blood Services what they’ve been missing all these years. Ask your friends to join you.
- Remind yourself about how much good you can do. Look into the impact your donation has and how plasma gets used (check out What is Plasma for details on this).
- Inspire others to donate. Talk to friends and family about donation and that good feeling you get from knowing you’ve helped someone.
- Treat yourself to a feel-good day! Before or after you donate, partake in some self-care activities to boost your mood further. For example, you could treat yourself to a meal you don’t normally have, read a book you’ve been meaning to, go for a picnic with your family, or explore the city. You deserve to give yourself a break once in a while, whatever that means for you.
- Donate with a friend or family member, and enjoy doing something good together (Bonus: if you’re nervous about donating, having some support there will make it easier!). Plan ahead to book at the same time on the same day. Let them know when you check in that you would like to donate next to each other.
- If you’re part of a community group (like a dinner, book, chess, or rotary club), consider hosting an event/mixer and ‘adopt-a-clinic’ for all of the group members to donate together. Call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and tell them you would like to organize a group donation event, or to ‘adopt-a-clinic’. They will connect you to the right person.
- Last but not least, donate as often as you can. Plasma regenerates quicker than red blood cells, so you can actually donate as often as once every 6 days! Some people donate this often and it becomes a part of their regular social life and their community. However, even donating a couple of times a year makes a huge difference for Canadians that need plasma.