If you are a current blood donor there is an extra special gift you can give to help save or improve the lives of even more patients. You can become a platelet donor.
Platelets are a type of blood cell that is essential for blood clotting. Patients with serious medical problems, such as leukemia and cancer, often receive platelets as do premature babies whose clotting system may not be fully functional.
Platelets are collected through a process called apheresis, where your blood is passed through a special cell-separating machine. Every apheresis donation can provide up to three life-saving donations of platelets. It takes the platelets from 12-16 whole blood donations to equal the number of platelets you can donate in one visit.
The donation does not significantly decrease the number of platelets in your body. You won't experience any bleeding problems due to donating as your body replaces the donated platelets very quickly. You can donate platelets more frequently than Whole Blood. Platelets may be donated every 2-3 weeks, up to 24 times a year. This special type of donation takes about one hour.