You Are One in a Million

Typically, your doctor would order an “antibody screen” as part of pre-admission or pre-procedure testing. Additionally, in some instances, a blood center may test for and will inform donors if they have formed an antibody.

The FDA regulates how often a donor can donate for their own safety.  A donor can donate whole blood every 56 days or can donate red cells by apheresis every 112 days.

If you inform the American Rare Donor Program (ARDP) of your new address and give permission for us to share, the ARDP will inform the blood center in your new location of your rare type.  You can also show your Rare Donor card that came in your welcome packet to the staff at your new blood center and ask them to communicate the information to the “Reference Laboratory”.

There is a one in four chance that a full sibling of someone with a rare type will also have the rare type. The best way to find out is to donate blood, and then request that your unit be tested for the same rare type(s) your sibling has.

If your siblings can donate at the same blood center as you, they can call the blood center and ask to talk to the supervisor of the Reference Laboratory. They can explain that they are sibling of someone with a rare phenotype. They’ll need to provide your name and/or your phenotype, which can be found on your Rare Donor Card).  The laboratory staff can provide guidance to your sibling on how to donate and provide the unit ID to the laboratory so that their blood can be tested for your phenotype to determine if they too have a rare type.

If your siblings would like to donate in a geographic area that is serviced by another blood center, they can call that blood center and ask to talk to the supervisor of the Reference Laboratory and explain that they are sibling of someone with a rare phenotype. They’ll need to provide your phenotype, which can be found on your Rare Donor Card. The laboratory can provide guidance on how to donate and provide the unit ID to the laboratory so that their blood can be tested for your phenotype to determine if they too have a rare type.

If you have formed an antibody to the antigen(s) you lack, the ARDP will work with your blood center to provide the rare blood product(s) that will be compatible with you.

For those donors with exquisitely rare types, your blood collection center may suggest you donate blood that can be frozen for future use.

Blood donation is voluntary in the USA. Red cell, platelet and plasma products shipped from blood centers to hospitals for transfusion are not collected from paid donors. Rare blood products are very challenging to find. We hope that you will continue to donate regularly and especially when recruited for a patient in need.

Email ardp@redcross.org and they can help you get a replacement rare donor card.