Donating Plasma

Today I decided to save a life. The way I saved a life is by donating plasma. Today was the third time I have decided to donate. I started giving last Tuesday and have earned about 75 dollars so far. I found out about giving plasma through a friend that I met while living at the dorms. I have also heard about it earlier in life from people that were already in college at the time. It is a place where college students can earn some extra cash because we all know that we are all considered poor. We are considered poor because of all the expenses of going to college. At the end of college, we are then attacked with all these expenses that we have to pay off. I really enjoy having extra cash for groceries or for entertainment. But the real reason I donate plasma is because I know I am saving lives. My plasma is being used in the treatment of serious diseases such as immune system deficiencies. When I go to give plasma, I go to a place called Biolife. The closest Biolife to the Western Campus is in Onalaska. The first process in giving plasma is getting a physical exam. The physical exam consisted of a lot of examining and a lot of paper work. I was just so thankful that I am passed the physical exam and got to donate that day. People usually get to donate twice a week and get paid. The first time you get 20 dollars and the second time you get 35 dollars. So, by the end of the month people usually make 200 to 305 dollars a month. Before giving plasma each time they have to check your red blood count, temperature, blood pressure, and protein level. When you pass that then it is time to donate. You usually get hooked up to a machine by putting a needle in your arm. What the machine does is it takes your blood and just takes the plasma part of it. Then the machine puts the blood right back in your body. This process usually takes from 45 minutes to 1 hour so they suggest bringing a book to read, your laptop, or your mp3 player to listen to. I usually bring my I-pod to listen to and read a textbook for a class. Giving plasma is a really rewarding experience, knowing that you are saving lives. That is why I am alive in this world because I like to help people and save the lives of as many people as I can.