Five Squares

I’ve been a blood/platelet donor for many years. I’ve never been paid for my contributions, unless you count juice boxes and Fig Newtons. (Once my donation earned me a gift certificate for an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins. That was awesome.) I’m a donor because it costs me nothing (aside from a little time), and because I like feeling that I’ve made a difference to someone – a cancer patient, a premature infant, a burn victim, or maybe someone having surgery. But I know there’s always a chance my donation won’t be used at all. Whole blood can only be refrigerated for up to 42 days, and platelets must be used within five. So, I want to applaud Sweden for thinking outside the box: if you donate blood in, say, Stockholm, you’ll get a text message to let you know your donation has been used to help someone in need.