An elder told me that I can give blood here, but not there...

by JH 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  JH

  A few years ago, I was diagnosed with too much iron in my blood. Most people lack iron, but I have too much. With time, this iron lodges in the body, and it's not good.

  So, my doctor told me to give blood a few times a year and this problem would be solved. So I told this to an elder about 18 months ago, and he told me, NOT to give blood at a blood bank because it will end up being given to a patient.

  My doctor referred me to a blood specialist, who doesn't think my case is important enough to see me, although it is.

  So, I told the elder that I had 2 choices. Either give blood at a blood bank once every 2 or 3 months to lower my iron, or wait for the specialist at the hospital to remove the blood and then they trash it.

  So, the elder said, when you will eventually see the blood specialist, tell him that you're a JW and that ou don't want your blood to be used for someone else. The elder said, after that, what the specialist does with your blood isn't your responsibility anymore, since you told him this. You can have a clear conscience.

  But this blood specialist doesn't want to see me, saying that he has way more important cases to treat. So it's been 2 years now, that I'm waiting to see this blood specialist. Good medical care in Quebec hey ?

  So, since it takes so long, and after losing 1 whole year waiting for the doctor to phone to remove blood, I got fed up waiting and went to give blood 6 times now since a year at the local blood bank.

  If the elders would know about this, they would disfellowship me for sure.

  But what I'm getting to is, why can I take out blood at the hospital and no matter what they do with that blood isn't my responsibility anymore says the elder, but I can't give blood at a blood bank that will be used for a patient.

  In one case, the blood probably won't be used for someone else, and in the other case it will.

  But there is no guarantee that my blood wont be used if I go to the hospital and get it removed there.

  I guess my case is quite rare in the JW Org, and they didn't see many members who needed to give blood in order to stay healthy....
• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  JH, it sounds like more twisted logic to me. Your health doesn't matter to them, just as long as you don't break their sanction on donating blood for medical use.

  You are right, they would most certainly disfellowship you for daring to improve your own health by donating blood at a blood bank. Your condition is indeed rare - I've not heard of it and I work at a hospital, albeit in the administrative section. The main thing is, if you are feeling better for doing what you've done, then carry on doing it when you need to. Their policy on blood has never made much sense, and now they've tweaked it a few times, it's completely nonsensical. I'll bet most jws don't really know what it is anymore.
• 

  Bumble Bee

  So, the elder said, when you will eventually see the blood specialist, tell him that you're a JW and that ou don't want your blood to be used for someone else. The elder said, after that, what the specialist does with your blood isn't your responsibility anymore, since you told him this. You can have a clear conscience.

  So, this doesn't mean that your blood wouldn't be used, just that as long as you don't know what they do with it afterwards your safe. What a crock of you know what!

  Have you asked at the blood bank if your blood is suitable to be used? Could be because of the high iron content it may not be used for transfusions.

  Maybe you can tell the elder that your blood is going to be broken down into all the fractions that are ok for JWs to use! lol

  BB
• 

  inbyathread

  You pay your taxes don't you? Where that dollar goes after it leaves your hand is intirely in the governments hands. Same goes for the blood bank. You gave hoping that the blood is not used as a direct transfusion. If witnesses can consciencously accept fractions then that is what you were giving to.

  Don't give in to those pea-brained so-called elders. They haven't a clue what is important.

  Give Blood and stay healthy.
• 

  JH

  Have you asked at the blood bank if your blood is suitable to be used? Could be because of the high iron content it may not be used for transfusions.

  Oh, my blood is what they are looking for. My blood type is O negative, and I can give blood to ANYONE !!! and I'm loaded with red blood cells, hemaglobin is extremely high, which is great for patients.

  Don't worry,they don't throw it away. And after 6 donations, they would have told me if there was a problem. Everything is in their computer.
• 

  Scully

  Have you asked at the blood bank if your blood is suitable to be used? Could be because of the high iron content it may not be used for transfusions.

  I was concerned about this possibility too. Hematology is not my area of expertise, but I encountered a patient during my training with similar symptoms who had a condition known as hereditary hemochromatosis. This is actually a very common genetic condition, approximately 1 in 9 Canadians of Northern European descent are carriers of the gene, and 1 in 300 Canadians of the same ethnic background are likely to experience "iron overload" unless treated with "blood letting".

  The good news about this condition is that people who have it are not a risk to the donor blood system - they are eligible to donate blood in Canada. Back when I did my training 10 years ago, they were not eligible as blood donors.

  http://www.cdnhemochromatosis.ca/disorder/faqs.php
• 

  Mysterious

  A lot of blood clinics at least here have you fill out a screening form where you can declare any risk factors such as risky sexual activity, drug use, etc. Most of them also have a box you can check that says use my donation or don't use my donation. If an elder confronts you just tell him you told them not to use it so it's the same as if you went to a hospital :D I believe this policy was instated so that people would not have to explain why they were not donating blood if it was for personal medical reasons (such as at an office blood drive), but it would also not put the blood supply at risk.
• 

  JWdaughter

  They are nuts. Let them know you go to the BB and then challenge them on their faulty logic/theology/doctrine and make them squirm. When they disfellowship you-and they will-make a huge PR headache for them, notify everyone in the cong. and the newspapers, magazines, etc., so that the world can see them for what they truly are.
• 

  Scully

  Most of them also have a box you can check that says use my donation or don't use my donation.

  This is actually the final part of the private screening where I donate. You answer the "low risk" screening questions by yourself, then you get interviewed by the nurse for the "high risk" screening questions (that include sexual risk factors and drug use), and then the very last thing they do is give you a set of two stickers - each has a different bar code and a number - below one sticker is printed "Yes, use my blood" and below the other is "No, do not use my blood". Then you attach the appropriate barcode to the screening document and give your blood. Nobody knows until afterward whether to use your blood or not.

  There's your "out" for the elder, JH. Tell him that you always pick the "don't use my blood" sticker so they have to throw it away. Since he's never donated blood, and never will, and your information is confidential, he's never going to find out one way or the other. You can say you are "making use of the world, but not using it to the full". (1Corinthians 7:31)
• 

  JH

  Tell him that you always pick the "don't use my blood" sticker so they have to throw it away.

  Excellent !!!

  Honestly, I thought that if I took the other sticker that said, don't use my blood, that the nurse would have looked at my paper and would have said, "ok since you put that sticker in the box, this means we won't have to take your blood", so go home now....