of potential donors. Yikes! Whenever they wheel someone into the ER and Doctor Greene yells for six units of O neg, I cringe: "Hey, Mark, take it easy there!"

I've learned that, even though I'm going to sit very close to the woman who's going to take my history and blood pressure, I shouldn't put breath drops in my mouth. They raise the temperature of your mouth and if your temp is too high, you can't donate.

I've learned how extremely careful they are. Once, when my teeny, little, right-arm vein wouldn't cooperate, the technician had to start fresh with my teeny, little, left-arm vein. She packed up her stuff, walked around the foot of the couch, looked at the label on the equipment and said, "Are you Georgianna Henry?" They leave no room for error, this is too important.

I've also learned this stuff my bones make is even more valuable because I'm CMV- which means I've never had the cytomegalovirus. Most adults have had it, and just thought they were experiencing a bad case of influenza. But if a baby, with its new immune system, gets CMV, the results can be devastating. I love being the baby donor.

I may complete my third gallon some time this year, but you know very well I'm only in it for the cookie.

Georgianna Henry
Duluth, Minnesota
[info omitted for web privacy]