Taiwaneers

A week ago today I discovered free money. Well actually its not quite free money but its pretty stinking close. I went to CSL Plasma in Lansing and sold them my plasma.

I had heard of getting money for plasma before but the thought of doing it myself came to me only recently after reading Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard. My mom suggested that I’d enjoy the book and I really did. Its about this guy who wants to find out if the “American Dream” of being able to move up the socio-economic ladder was still possible. One of the things he does in the book is sell his plasma, which, got me thinking!

Well I found CSL on the internet and decided to go in the next time I was in Lansing. It was weird at first in there. There was a front desk with medical looking files all stacked behind it like a doctors office and a waiting area and everyone was wearing doctors coats and stuff. To the left, unlike a doctors office, there was a wall of glass where you can see the “donation” floor. A bunch of bed-chair things with people in them with tubes of blood flowing out of their arms, into machines, and then back into their arms minus the plasma. “Wow, this is like a human factory or something” I thought to myself.

After declaring my desire to become a “new donor” one of the first things they did was check the inside of my elbows along with another guy who wanted to be a “new donor.” I passed but the other dude had a ton of needle marks and the lady told him he couldn’t “donate” until “that cleared up.” Its so sad to come face-to-face with human suffering, especially when its self-inflicted.

Anyways I then underwent a series of questions and a physical. Throughout this process me and the lady who put me through it had great conversation. At the end of it all it was determined that I was exactly what they were looking for and filled the “new donor” job requirements perfectly. In fact it was determined that I had ‘grade A’ plasma and would be receiving the top tier of reimbursement out of three. Each “donation”, which I can make up to two times every seven days nets me $35. Thats $280 a month! Crazy right?

I was also marked as having “yellow” veins. Each new donors’ veins are inspected and labeled as green, yellow, or red. Green veins are large and easy to stick. Red veins are small and the phlebotomist has got to have mad skills. Even though Sam, the very nice lady who put me through the physical, said I had super great veins she said it would be better to mark me as having “yellow” veins because then nobody that was a crappy sticker could stick me but that I wouldn’t have the difficulties of red vein people. She explained to me red vein people sometimes have to wait forever for the really talented stickers to make it to them when there are lots of “donors” that need sticking all at the same time.

I could literally go on and on about the experience it was so interesting to me. Suffice it to say I went out to the “donation” floor, got stuck and hooked up, and had wonderful conversations with the technicians and other “donors” throughout the duration of my “donation.” At the end I was given a slip of paper with a four number code on it and Sam showed me how to work the “reimbursement” ATM in the lobby.

What a great way to get money that I can then give away to the missionaries we support, the Student Statesmanship Institute (an organization that we support), and the Couple to Couple League (another organization that we support). Actually at $280 a month I might need to find some more! I hope I don’t sound prideful about making charitable contributions. I’m really just excited about finding a new way of getting money that I don’t need myself and can instead give away.

For those of you who have questions about “donating” plasma I’d be happy to tell you more about my experience. I was really impressed by the system that CSL had set up. Needless to say, after learning about the process, I wasn’t worried that my blood would mix around with bad blood (you know what I mean) and somehow cost me my health.

I’m looking forward to my next trip to Lansing so I can “donate” some more plasma and donate some more money!