Letters to the Editor: Still looking to give something this Christmas? Donate blood

To the editor: As a healthy and fully vaccinated 87-year-old, I give blood at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center four or five times a year. Most seniors seem to think that old age is a barrier to donating. It is not. But when I give, I note that others lying beside me are generally half my age. (“Amid a nationwide blood shortage, your donation could save my life,” Opinion, Dec. 21)

If you’re healthy at any age, I urge you to pitch in to reduce the current shortage in giving.

Incidentally, when I give at Cedars-Sinai, I receive more than a thank you and a mere cookie. I get an AMC movie pass or an In-N-Out gift card as well.

Saul Isler, Palms

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To the editor: I am a long-time blood donor. I feel it is my civic duty to donate blood. Mostly I have donated at the Red Cross.

Over the years, I have stopped donating at times because of the treatment I have received — not by the people at the clinic. It is not their fault.

I am giving my life blood, so having to wait hours (this was in the past) or having my appointment canceled by the Red Cross twice this month is discouraging. I tried making an appointment at a local hospital, but got an answering machine asking me to leave a message.

I’m not surprised there is a blood shortage when things are run so badly.

Helen Morris, Torrance

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To the editor: In the 1980s I donated blood all the time and loved knowing that my simple donation could save lives.

In 1988, I went to college in England for seven months. Sometime in the 1990s, during the short-lived mad cow disease scare, the American Red Cross stopped taking donations from anyone who had spent more than six months in Europe.

This policy still exists and is ridiculous. I would love to donate but cannot.

Chris Franciosa, Encino