Americans Don’t Want Our Blood

I went to the Blood Drive today. A big truck of Stanford Medical School was on the eBay campus and I stopped by to give blood. I filled out all the paperwork and thought I was extremely qualified to make a blood donation – after having lived for 2 months in this healthy organic State of California. Unfortunately, there is a black list. You are not eligible to give blood if you have lived in the UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, or other countries of the EU, between 1980 and 1996 (during the period of the mad cow disease). Americans don’t want our blood. I was a bit surprised, but of course, I do understand that there are good medical reasons for this policy. Though the mad cow disease is not transferred by human beings, Americans want to be extra safe. Who would blame them for that? And actually, I was somewhat relieved as well; I had tried to do the right thing (so no feelings of guilt for me!), I didn’t have to have my arm pierced by a mean needle (I am a bit of a whiner), and still I got the voucher for free ice cream and cookies! Who told us there is no such thing as a free lunch?