r/singapore • u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP • 1d ago
News Not just checking a box: How Buddhist teachings inspire these two men to give blood regularly
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/blood-donation-vesak-day-buddhist-teachings-6146506"In Singapore, we only have 1.3 per cent (of the residential population) who are blood donors, and every day we require 400 units of blood for transfusion needs across Singapore."
The Singapore Red Cross and the Health Sciences Authority said in April that Singapore faces a looming blood supply crisis, with the demand for blood potentially outstripping supply in as early as seven years based on current population trends.
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
As a regular (monthly) donor myself, I always feel good after donating my blood every time.
The feeling of helping people in need, practising compassion, and helping people in need. Happy Vesak Day!
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u/SappyPaphiopedilum I ❤ SGT Dollah 1d ago
Monthly? You're a damn legend! Help yourself to all the Milo and 100 Plus!
Btw for June if you donate with someone else, can redeem a universal USB charger!
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
Thanks. I always help myself with sandwiches, green bean soup, milo gao and H20 at HSA Outram.
I saw that universal usb adaptor post. But unfortunately, I dont have someone else to donate together. Haha
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u/SappyPaphiopedilum I ❤ SGT Dollah 1d ago
Nice nice, btr than me eating KFC after donating 😅
Red cross like to give things but make it hard to redeem. They gave free shirt but only for first time donor :(
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
I got the oversized shirt previously. They gave out for all blood donors after awhile, cos I think not a lot first time donors.
You eat kfc after donating ah? Normally I reward myself by drinking beer at night after donating. Haha.
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u/SappyPaphiopedilum I ❤ SGT Dollah 1d ago
Wah envious. I went to donate 1st weekend when the shirt drop but out of stock. Then it came back but my window not open or only for first timer :/
Last time I start donating at SP, nearby was KFC or Subway at FC5 so got my habit there haha 😂 Beer also good choice, the drink of life haha
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u/oayihz 1d ago
How's the recovery like for the monthly donation / apheresis?
Did the 'normal' blood donation a couple of months back. Was quite pale/tired for like 1-2 days hmmm
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
Recovery from apheresis is much faster. Because you don't technically lose blood, it's pumped out, filtered to remove components like platelets and plasma, and then returned to you.
I usually feel back to normal a few hours after donating platelets. With whole blood donation, you may feel tired afterwards, which can take a day or two for some people. This is because your body needs time to replenish and create new blood. Therefore, doctors advise against exercise afterward because of the blood loss of 450ml.
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u/yellow-sparrow 1d ago
Nobody is allowed to donate monthly in SG right? Donors would have to wait ~3 months before donating again.
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
You can donate once every 28 days if you donate platelets. Whole blood is 3 months interval.
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u/Ok-Use-8592 1d ago
Is this independent of the whole blood donation?
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
Platelets is different, but it still counts towards your number of donation.
If you switch from whole blood to platelets, your donation count will continue, and not counted separately.
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u/Ok-Use-8592 1d ago
Oh so I can't donate whole blood in may and then donate platelets in June?
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
If you switch from whole blood to platelets, you still have to wait at least 3 months.
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u/Useful-Challenge-895 10h ago
I donate regularly myself and the fastest frequency I know of is 10-12 weeks. Never once a month.
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 10h ago
That is for whole blood. But if you donate platelets, you can do it once every 28 days.
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u/Ok-Use-8592 1d ago
How the hell do you donate monthly, bloodBank only accepts a donation once every 3 months?
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u/squarepancakesx 1d ago
I used to. Back when HSA was the only location. Then I got diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and was told that since I’m mentally ill I’m not allowed to donate blood unless my doctor clears me. Sorry not paying $150 for the memo to do so after being insulted.
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u/akillergx Senior Citizen 1d ago
I would love to but...I'm gay and not allowed to donate 🤷♂️
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u/yamma-banana 1d ago
Yeah, even as a regular blood donor, I think HSA should revise this. Other countries like the UK (I think) have done so.
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u/akillergx Senior Citizen 1d ago
Sadly the needs of people come secondary to homophobia.
I'd be glad to get tested and show that I'm free from any infection but sadly the guidelines are too restrictive.
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u/yamma-banana 1d ago
TBH I think everyone, straight or otherwise, should get tested before donating because STDs don't discriminate, and heterosexual people can also be transmitters. But realistically, that would be difficult to implement (especially during a crisis like the New World Hotel collapse) and might put off even more people from donating. I'd be interested to know how HSA might work around such time constraints, stigmas around sexual health testing etc.
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u/Separate_Vanilla_57 1d ago
Gay people cannot donate bloood???
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u/akillergx Senior Citizen 1d ago
If you've had sexual contact with a male (as a male), you are not allowed to.
Quote from HSA: You must not donate blood if:
You have AIDS or HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. You suspect you may have been exposed to HIV. You have unexplained weight loss, persistent night sweats, fever, diarrhoea or swollen glands. These symptoms could be due to HIV infection or another serious illness. Please see a doctor. You are at risk of HIV infection due to high-risk activities you do presently or in the past.
High-risk activities include the following:
Having casual sex Having sex with another man (if you are a male)
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u/AmphibianOk2792 2h ago
Girl on girl is ok??
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u/akillergx Senior Citizen 2h ago
Apparently so because its not mentioned un HSA website https://www.hsa.gov.sg/blood-donation/can-i-donate/
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u/yoohnified 1d ago
i actually want to donate blood but idk what’s the procedure like, do i need to bring my medical records with me? and what can i do/not do and eat/not eat after?
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
You do not need to bring medical records. If you have clean bill of health, no medication, no medical procedures, no exciting social life history, then you should be able to donate blood.
You can walk into any of their blood banks at HSA Outram, Westgate Tower, Woodlands, One Punggol, Dhoby Ghaut. I suggest you book an appointment before going as you will be served faster than walk in. Go download the BloodBlood app, use singpass login and book an appointment.
You need to build your iron levels before donating; it's a minimum 12.5 for ladies, 13.0 for gentlemen. Eat more vegetables, especially spinach, red meat and nuts. Avoid coffee on the day of donation as they can absorb the iron. After donation, continue to drink lots of water and build your iron.
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u/SappyPaphiopedilum I ❤ SGT Dollah 1d ago
First need fill up questionnaire abt your health, travel history and personal lifestyle. Counter will then ask for IC to verify
Then they'll take a small prick to do blood test on iron level. After that go see doctor for blood pressure test and any clarification on yr qns.
Finally donate blood, can choose left or right arm. They'll sanitaze and inject anaesthetic before another needle to draw blood. After ard 10-15 mins and you're done!
They'll give you a card with next donation date and a bookmark on safety points e.g. no heavy exercise for the day and bandage on for 4 hrs min.
Then you can lepak and drink Milo/100+ and eat oreos till you shiok.
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u/Rich_Cod3235 1d ago
Unpopular opinion. In a society that is increasingly materialistic, you need to start giving people incentives for giving something. These donations that rely out of the goodwill of people's hearts will only dwindle as life gets more and more difficult.
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u/TamaSGFU 1d ago
How could you say something so controversial yet so brave? 🫣
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u/ArcticGlaceon 1d ago
This one controversial meh. The previous time this topic appeared on Reddit this is all people were saying and circle jerking each other about.
I swear Redditors love to say "unpopular opinion" followed by a take so basic that its pH level is like 14.
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u/TamaSGFU 1d ago
Because if it was popular, it would have been enacted. Guess why it still isn’t today and why blood donors are at an all time low (1.3 donors out of 100 people)?
Lots of people irl that I know harp on the “donating blood is about altruism” and “if we give money, only druggies will donate money” rhetoric. It’s basic here, but try saying that outside and see if that gains any traction.
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u/ArcticGlaceon 1d ago
I mean yea it's a basic af opinion. People are just more comfortable airing it online than in public.
Anyway "because if it was popular, it would have been enacted" is just not true, unless you think the government is 100% populist that only implement policies based on public sentiment and not their own research etc. The government could enact monetary incentives, but what you the individual don't see is spillover effects and long term effects of such policies.
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u/TamaSGFU 1d ago
The government could enact monetary incentives, but what you the individual don't see is spillover effects and long term effects of such policies.
Yeah, I know what you are getting at. The more pragmatic side of me knows that when we enact monetary incentives, someone is going to have to fork out money for the blood and it will be a recurring expense. Medical costs will skyrocket to the roof if we do this (which is logical).
Still though, news articles like these don’t really seem to tilt the needle much to garner more blood donors in Singapore over the past few years. But hey, what do I know? I’m not the government or I’m paid $55k/mth to care 🤷♀️
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u/ArcticGlaceon 1d ago
Yea I try to see policies from a macro POV rather than what I as an individual will gain in the short term.
Obviously I do agree that people are materialistic. But there are lot of ways to psych people into doing good deeds without resorting to monetary incentives. Because once you start offering monetary incentives it's very hard to go back to "hey bro come do a good deed from the kindness of your heart". I believe you need to try everything else first before resorting to monetary incentives as a last resort.
(One example I thought of is to make a leaderboard for blood donations - sgreans are a competitive bunch after all.)
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u/TamaSGFU 1d ago
As much as I like a leaderboard to play into the competitive mindset, Singaporeans are also a pragmatic bunch too. Selfish heuristics will still win by arguing that they can always opt out of the leaderboard, which is evidently shown with the abysmal blood donor rate here in Singapore.
Unfortunately for us, all victories must come at a cost, be it political or economical. I wouldn’t be surprised if the government has to use the stick (involuntary blood donation unless medical condition) to coerce the public to donate blood. Tax reliefs will only serve as loopholes.
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u/Readreadlearnlearn 1d ago
Didn't realize it was so little. Guys (and girls), donating blood is good for your health too. It significantly removes PFAS/forever chemicals from your body.
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u/SappyPaphiopedilum I ❤ SGT Dollah 1d ago
If you donate successfully with someone else during June, you'll also get a universal USB plug!
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
Thanks for sharing, may I know what is PFAS?
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u/Readreadlearnlearn 1d ago
Chemicals that don't break down / take forever to break down and are linked to multiple different cancers plus other health risks. They are used to make things like non-stick pans, waterproof coatings, etc. Researchers have found them everywhere, including in the blood of unborn babies. There was a movie made about it called dark waters. And iirc a recent article says Australia is suing 3M for PFAS contamination. PFAS is horrible and not known enough. You should Google it and educate yourself on how to avoid it.
Donating blood is one of the only few known ways to remove existing PFAS from your body.
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
thank you. I'm glad i'm removing these harmful chemicals every time i donate blood. Yet another reason to keep donating and saving lives.
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u/poginmydog 1d ago
Does the hospital remove the PFAS from the donated blood before transfusion?
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u/Readreadlearnlearn 1d ago
No, there's no way to remove it and it's in everyone's blood so if you lost a lot of blood and need a transfusion I don't think you'll be worried about the PFAS in donated blood
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u/poginmydog 1d ago
So the blood donation doesn’t remove it entirely, it just goes to another person :(
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u/Readreadlearnlearn 12h ago
Well, not all the blood that's donated goes to a person. I believe some of them expire and gets thrown out? But the thrown out blood still contains PFAS I guess.
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u/Nila89 6h ago
I thought that too but upon further research, it's not entirely the case. A lot of it tends to accumulate in our organs (especially microplastics).
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u/Readreadlearnlearn 54m ago
Yes and so we want to prevent more from accumulating. Donating blood is a good way to do that since you are removing them from circulation. And of course do your other prevention stuff like getting an air purifier, not eating/eating less takeout food, eating high fiber food which has been shown to reduce the amount of crap absorbed, and so on.
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u/wildheart38 1d ago
OH WOW i didnt know that. Thanks! Will start looking into donating. Have been concerned about such chemicals in the body.
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u/Small_Exit5324 1d ago
Donating with the intention not to offset those chemicals in our body but to help people in need. Your thoughts , actions also affect quality of your red blood cells. Thinking good with the intention helps & goes a long way for those in need.
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u/rpianojam 13h ago
Donating with the intention not to offset those chemicals in our body but to help people in need. Your thoughts , actions also affect quality of your red blood cells
lol no it doesn't
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u/tough-nougat 10h ago
Want more people to give blood? Then give money.
Sorry but not sorry for saying this.
Actually also right, give a freaking half-day MC as well.
SGreans are pragmatic and realistic people. Can’t have a highly educated population but expect them to follow through “eat-loss” deals.
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u/chengch67 1d ago
Can't give blood since my haemoglobin count is low. Used to give platelets but after a trip abroad was told I couldn't give anymore. Is there a waiting period? I stopped keep ing track.
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u/yamma-banana 1d ago
I was also rejected once from donating because of my haemoglobin count. I can't remember if they explicitly gave me a waiting period. But I was able to donate two weeks later (OTOT) after my counts went back to normal. If you're concerned, not to worry. You can arrange another appointment and they'll check your levels again before you donate. Recommend eating more iron-rich foods and drinking more water the week before you plan to donate.
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u/chengch67 1d ago
Oh my low hemaglobin count is a permanent condition due to Thalassemia minor. It was my platelet donation that they put a halt on due to travel.
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u/Wyvernken Tampenis 1d ago
Donating blood is good and all, but the blood donation location are not anywhere near my house or work place. Moreover, I can't exercise for the next few days after donating blood 😔
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u/idkkmanlol 1d ago
u can only donate once every 3 months. that few days of not exercising is quite insignificant tbh
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
There are blood mobiles every week, mostly at community spaces, for public convenience.
You can still exercise, but light exercise. I still maintain my blood donation and exercises too, you just have to balance it. Know your body when to pause.
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u/Silverelfz 15h ago
Sadly I can only encourage others cos most of the time I get rejected due to low hb. So I might as well don't waste their time.
But please go give blood!
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/yamma-banana 1d ago
Eh, hello, foreigners (including PRs) already count towards that figure, hence the use of the term "residential population" instead of "citizen population". I'm a regular blood donor at Woodlands or Dhoby Ghaut, and I regularly encounter at least one foreigner donating too. It's not just based on their accent, but also because you have to verify your ID number (beginning with "M" etc) before they actually poke you. I'm also incredibly interested in what other supporting evidence or statistic you got that makes you so confidently state that Chinese people are the ones "doing the heavy lifting" aside from the cursory fact that we are the majority race? Cos I often see our Malay and Indian youths donating too.
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u/Bitter-Rattata F1 VVIP 1d ago
I organised a blood mobile before with HSA and the Red Cross. One thing I noticed is that foreigners, and especially migrant workers, are VERY OPEN to donating blood. I've spoken to some on why they donate blood, they said back in their country, they know the importance of donating blood, saving lives and they donated many times before coming to Singapore.
Over here, non-donors doubt here, doubt there, questioning the rationale. I mean, if you don't want donate, just keep quiet.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/yamma-banana 1d ago
Oh please, don’t play the “I’m being persecuted for my free speech” victim card. Your original comment (that your own chickenshit ass decided to delete) didn’t seek to “clarify”. The only question your xenophobic ass was pretend-asking, is why not we make it public policy to make foreigners “donate” blood. And even that was more of a proposition than a genuine line of query. And the rest of your comment stated with unjustified certainty and confidence – as a non-HSA official and as a non-donor with little to no firsthand experience – that only the local Chinese population is “doing the heavy lifting” and implying that our Malay and Indian brothers and sisters etc aren’t contributing to the blood donation pool. If you were really trying to have a discussion, you would have commented something along the lines of “Non-donor here, does anyone know the donation rate breakdown according to race and residential status”? Don’t lie lah, stand by your words, you coward.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/yamma-banana 1d ago
Wah, “impression from news”? What are you, Primary 1 still ah? Even my 8 y.o. niece knows that not everything, good or bad, gets reported in the news. If ST only reports on New Year babies and doesn’t report a baby being born today, automatically means confirm there were zero births today ah? Bodoh.
And like you said, you “don’t know for a fact”. Cos one, you yourself mentioned elsewhere (before you might delete another comment again) that you aren’t a blood donor and you “have never seen what it is like on the ground”. And two, it’s highly unlikely you work for HSA or have access to the actual donor breakdown based on race and country origin. Cos you would have known that Singapore has always had a low blood donation turnout rate. I’m not just basing this on my experience as someone who’s been donating for close to two decades. Check out past HSA stats. Or the news, if you’re too lazy or have the critical thinking and research skills of a kindergartener. Ask people in healthcare. I have family and friends working on the frontlines, and they also say it’s been a problem even since the 1970s – which is well before the “influx” of so-called greedy, grubby foreigners who only know how to take-take-take from us oh-so generous, selfish Singaporeans hor. Research and analysis isn’t just basic “math”, smoothbrain.
Yet, you have the absolute cheek and temerity to double down and continue to blame the local Malay and Indian population and foreigners, for sure for sure, for the low blood donation rates.
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u/Perspicatcity 1d ago
I mean. If you have a religion and it doesn't at least do the bare minimum of teaching you how to be a decent human being, then what is your religion for other than a vainglorious exercise in bigotry? I'm not sure exactly why this even warranted an article, just because it's Vesak Day? It's like the bar is so low for religion that we're suppose to applaud when Buddhists /checks notes/ give blood?
Does the state media interview atheists who go out of their way to volunteer and do good for people and brandish their atheism? Or do we need a special atheist day for such stories to come out?
Surely there's better stories tying in the Buddhist religion to mark their day, right?
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u/SHiNe2Me 1d ago
Why so angry. It's vesak day, let them highlight?! Man u need to chill out.
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u/Perspicatcity 1d ago
If you think that is angry then the world will shock and scare you 😂😂😂
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u/SHiNe2Me 1d ago
Huge assumptions and pretty covulated thought process so far. But at least you're laughing at me. Cheers.
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u/Ok-Use-8592 1d ago
If you want people to donate blood it's simple. Give them 1 full day of paid MC when they donate, it's as simple as that