Platelet Donation 101
As some of you may already know (and some of you may not!), you can actually donate more than one type of blood product. When you think about blood donation, most people probably first think of whole blood (when a...
About Blood Donation / FAQs
How Nature Has Us Seeing Red
Red is a powerful color. It symbolizes danger and courage, as well as love and happiness. It also holds a special place in our hearts (and our logo) here at SBC. The color’s link to blood and its importance accounts...
Top Ten Tips for Blood Donation
You’re going to do it! You’ve decided to save lives through blood donation. But if you’ve never done it before, or it’s been a while, it’s helpful to have a checklist to refer to leading up to the big day....
Blood Bag: The Unexpected Journey
Written by: Dianne Geary, technical hospital relations manager For those of you that have donated blood before, you are familiar with the routine; the whole blood donor is asked a bunch of questions, has a mini physical and passes the...
Tattoos, Allergies and Other Things That DON’T Prevent You From Donating Blood
When out in the community, we often receive questions from potential donors who aren’t sure if they are eligible to donate blood. Because blood donation is so important to support patients, and Stanford Blood Center needs new donors all the...
The Buddy System and Blood Donation
Buddies make everything better. Good childhood memories usually include using the buddy system, don’t they? Field trips, swimming pools; for safety and fun, nothing beats buddies. Good news: you can still use a buddy! Blood donations are a good excuse...
Women and Hemoglobin — What It Is and How to Give Yours a Boost
Please note, there may be more current information available related to iron and blood donation. Visit our Iron and Blood Donation page for more. Yesterday (Wednesday, March 8) was International Women’s Day, which of course got us thinking about our stellar...
Five Healthy Recipes to Lighten Up Your Thanksgiving Meal
Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family, but mostly for food! While Thanksgiving dinner is a well-deserved indulgence, some might be looking for ways to make their meals a little healthier. But just because you want to stay healthy,...
Five Ways to Prevent the Flu (and Still Donate Blood)
Sniffling, coughing and fevers. That’s right folks, flu season is upon us. And unfortunately, flu season also means more canceled appointments for blood donation due to sickness. But no need to worry; there are plenty of things you can do...
New Hemoglobin Criteria for Men, Women and Nonbinary Individuals
Please note, there may be more current information available related to iron and blood donation. Visit our Iron and Blood Donation page for more. Most of the iron in your body is found in the hemoglobin molecules of your red blood cells....