Lifesource

Life source it’s a good place w/​a good reason for being here w/​good people working here @ 1523 W Fullerton Ave. I come here every other week and donate platelets.
I have been donating for many years as it serves a purpose & a need. Life source is always looking for donors as there is always a need, so if you are able to you should donate. In my case the recipient of my platelets is person that is going through chemotherapy & is in need of platelet replacement to replenish the ones lost through the chemotherapy process.
A few years ago Life source started a point system for whole blood, double red blood and platelets. You can accumulate points for donating & redeem them for debit cards that can be used for whatever.
As you can see this is a WIN WIN situation. You are providing blood or platelets for Life Source & people in need & being rewarded for doing so. PLEASE DONATE TO A WORTHY CAUSE.

Very friendly employees. Kept me company during the whole donation. Easy check-​in procedure. Small parking lot, but rarely filled during the middle of the day. Always a pleasure going here.

Aside from the fact that if you can you should, this is the place to go. Very friendly and very competent staff. As a platelet donor, I’ve been stuck over 100 times. This place is the best. Mary, Evelyn and Trish rock!

I love coming here and giving blood. I love the fact that I am happy that there may be people out in the world that has received some of my o+.
Why do I pick this place instead of other blood banks? Maybe it is the Oreos, the popcorn, other the other snacks. Maybe it is because they have a parking lot and it is easy to get to. The people who work there are always nice and professional. They always get me on the first try (but I do have massive veins). The chairs are comfy.
Just go and give blood. And do yourself a favor and hit up this place.

GIVE BLOOD
This review regards setting up a blood drive with LifeSource. NOT going to one of their established donation facilities.
The people on the «front lines» actually administering the blood drive on the day of the event are great… on time, professional and hard working.
The people in the office are the exact opposite, slow (if ever) to return phone calls, slow in providing promotional materials… and then one week in advance after we had been marketing the blood drive for 2 months we received a telephone call that they were canceling the event. The event had been confirmed by their staff… and I asked «is this 100%, because I am going to start marketing if it is». I was assured it was confirmed.
This was our second time attempting to work with LifeSource… never again.
I encourage everyone to donate blood at an established office of LifeSource,
Red Cross, etc… but do not count on LifeSource if you would like to hold a local blood drive.
GIVE BLOOD

This is where I engage in my anti-​vampiric ways and drain off some unwanted blood. Apparently, I drink water like a kitten drinks milk because I was done before everyone else, in less than five minutes. Ok, the food. There is a wide selection of hor d’oeurves: curly cheesy puffs, packages of oreo cookies, cheesy popcorn. I asked for the wine list, and the receptionist pointed me to the fridge which contains fake cranberry juice (from concentrate), screwdrivers without the vodka (ie orange juice (from concentrate)), coffee, and water (not from concentrate). It looks like they were all out of beer that day.
Seriously, you need to eat things with sugar after giving blood and drinking any alcohol is a really bad idea. In this case, high fructose corn syrup is your friend.

This is a great spot to give blood! There’s parking or it’s easily accessible by public transit. Love it. I’ve been twice. I was there Sunday and they have a new system for signing in. You sign in on the computer and there was a glitch (probably user error!) but the woman snapped at me and put me in a crabby mood. I’m sure they are busy and deal with needles and blood all day, but I’m here to bleed for you, cut me some slack. Otherwise everything was great. One of my arms wasn’t cooperating but they didn’t poke me for too long before switching to the other. That one was swift and easy.
One other odd observation was that as I was leaving they turned away two walk ins. It was about 10:45 and there was one person currently donating. Perhaps they had 8 reservations at 11 AM which would make sense, but overall quite surprising to see people being told no thank you at a blood bank.
Still, I’ll be back in 8 weeks!

Every time I give blood, I have the same two thoughts: 1) I hope this is going to someone who really needs it, and 2) I cannot wait to eat cheese popcorn and drink fake cranberry juice when I’m done. Yum!
The food (usually): pretzels, Oreos, cheese popcorn, cookies
The drinks: apple juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, and water
The facilities are clean. The staff is always friendly and efficient. My girlfriend was giving blood for the first time and they took extra time with her and explained every step. The TV is usually showing a talk show or cooking show. Some may complain the magazine selection could be better, but I don’t mind reading the latest issue of Latina magazine — I love the recipes and fashion sections. The bathroom (a single) is sort of in a weird location; in the middle of the room, so it opens up to everyone who’s sitting there donating.
Lifesource has a handy points program that rewards you with for following through with your scheduled appointment, donating, bringing a new donor, etc. You can track your points online and redeem them for gift cards and Lifesource swag. There are varying benefits levels depending on how often you donate.

Go give blood! they sped up their system by having you answer your questions on a computer instead of those long forms. I went through the process fast and was pumpin’ out the blood in no time.
Plus they still give you orange juice and oreos at the end. What else do you need?

GIVE BLOOD!
It’s one of the most noble things you can do and Lifesource helps make that happen. Lives are saved every day by a simple blood donation — why aren’t you out giving up a bit of your time (and red stuff)?
Lifesource is a great Chicagoland organization dedicated to the collection and management of blood donations for hospitals and clinics throughout the area. Their staff are well-​trained and the facilities are always neat, organized and clean. Their mobile blood drives are everywhere and they’re easy to set up if you’re looking to do one at your school, work, etc.
They offer a cool system of gifts for those who donate often (shirts, mugs, accessories, iPods, etc.) as a way to say thanks. I’m a four seasons donor (I give 8 times per year) and I’ll say that I love the bonus rewards. I like showing off my love of donating blood!
If you’re not out there giving blood, you should be! Especially if you’re O-​; universal donors are the most appreciated and there’s often extra incentives for giving (like no-​strings gift cards to Target).

Clean, quick, and the phlebotomists are caring and attentive. What else can you ask for? As a bonus, each time you donate you earn points that can later be traded in for various gifts.

They are clean and they know what they are doing.
BUT this Lifesource is the slowest one of them all. And there’s always this lady at the front desk who looks absolutely miserable.
If you know there is a chance you will be turned away because you can be iron deficient, ask for the hemoglobin test BEFORE you fill out that really long questionnaire, and they will give it to you right after they update your address info. That way, you won’t wait an hour to find out you can’t give blood. (Get me twice, shame on me!)
If you’re looking for the best LifeSource in the Chicagoland area, go to the one on Cumberland, just South of Foster.

Okay… I went to donate my blood today… I didn’t donate my blood for a while… I miss that red-​cross «donation bus»…(they used to come to my work w/​that «donation bus» at least once a 2 months when I lived in Japan… they brought lots of lunch and beverages for donors; cheese burger, BBQ chicken, riceballs, snacks, sports drinks, orange juices and coffee. well no beers :) it was fun activity during lunch time… yes. I’m such a simple guy)…
So, I just thought it’s good idea to do while I am at here too. they asked me if I want to do «Apheresis Donation» instead of «whole blood donation»…so I said «sure»…
People there are very friendly and nice… and you will enjoy…
–Free Drink and Snack
–Goofy Show on TV to watch (??mock trial? it’s called?? Maury? what’s the hell is that???)
If you are a Hardcore «Blood Donation Freak», You can even enjoy…
–Watching Hypodermic Needles
–Intravenous Injection for Your Arm
–Watching Your Blood is Drained through Tube
Well…only 1 thing I like to request is…
–To explain any potential risks for being a donor… I mean for both short term and long term…(I knew the minor risk, but I still want them to provide the latest infor if they have… so I feel more comfortable /​educated)
Well I just hope my plasma will help someone somehow…:)

The Holidays are upon us…
Unfortunately, that means a lot of drunk people. Resulting in increased drunk driving accidents. Spurring the need for more blood transfusions. Requiring people to donate blood.
This is my line of reasoning for popping in yesterday… but i also felt that due to a magical experience at City Hall (see review prior) that saved me $ 100, I should throw some good vibes (and blood) back into the world.
So, do it. It takes like 30 minutes and you get cookies. (Oreos!). Besides being good for your karma keeper, and an easy «volunteer opp,» its vital to many people. I mean, really… why not?
–I typically do walk-​in, and rarely wait.
–do not go if you feel at all ill.
–stop by Mr. Sub next door if you feel woozy. High fatty subs!
–free parking lot, but its small. Street parking free, watch rush hours
–Maury Povich or Ellen on TV.
PS. I have to think there is some way to capitalize on the whole Twilight phenomena by encouraging people to donate blood. Yes, it comes out of your arm and not your neck… but still. Maybe if all the techs looked like Robert Pattison?
Ok, probably not. You’re just going to have to do it out of the goodness of your heart, I guess.
Happy Bloody Holidays!

While this place is decidedly less glam then the one downtown, I just had a very satisfactory experience (previously at this location I felt rushed and unappreciated.) I often have low iron, and they checked my levels out right away (always value that.) I was a candidate for aphereisis, where they swirl around your blood in a machine, take out all the platelets, and give back the plasma. When I got lightheaded and nauseous I had the full attention and support of two of the phlebotomists, and the ice pack they gave me worked wonders. I would definitely recommend trying them out.

I’ve been donating blood since high school. As far as a donation experience goes, I will say:
1) speak up– ask questions if you have them, and if something is not comfortable, ask the phlebotomist to adjust a needle, raise/​lower the armrest, etc. That is what they are there for.
2) if you register for their Brighten Life program on their website (
) it tracks your basic stats at no cost to you (blood pressure, temp, cholesterol level.)
3) as they always state, 1 pint of blood ends up getting used to save 3 people’s lives. That’s pretty heavy when you think about it.
Lincoln Park’s center is okay by me. I go to Portage Park more often b/​c its closer to me and I can walk there from the train after work, but Lincoln Park has normally been run fairly well.

First off if you are going to donate blood go to a hospital. Lifesource sells the blood to hospitals. Where if you go to a hospital they just use it right there. You are driving up the costs of health care by donating to Lifesource.
I donate blood regularly. Never before to Lifesource because I worked for a hospital group before. It would have been silly. I no longer work for that group and will probably find a hospital near work or home to donate to.
My grandma needs blood for a surgery and my blood type matches. My mom told me the doc asked donors to use Lifesource. I looked up the number and other info on their site. Called to schedule a time. Left a message on Monday as the recorded message told me to because as soon as someone is free they will call me back. By Wednesday I had still not hear back. I kindly asked my mom if I could donate at the hospital for grandma. Mom didn’t think it was possible. So I called again on Thursday waited a bit. Left a message again. This time an upset message clearly explaining that this is silly. Friday morning at 8am they called me to schedule.
They scheduled to send me to this site, Lincoln park. I preferred the downtown, State of Illinois building, site, but they do not accept special donations there. Work is only 5 mins away from downtown. WTF?!? According to the website they have openings almost every hour, but if I want to donate for grandma I have to go out of my way. There is no reason for this (what they need a special frig? shipping costs?)They wanted to schedule me this morning at 9am! Hello work. Due to the timing of the surgery I had to accept Monday in the middle of the day. I have to go through a lot of trouble to get out of work.
They have me in a hard spot and it sucks. I hope to never deal with this company ever again.

Yikes… my Lifesource review is a hot mess. Maybe I’ll re-​work it one of these days.
I gave again recently and noticed that 3 women in their 20s & 30s got turned away. This could have been because of traveling to a particular country or maybe recently getting a tattoo but if I had to guess, I would say it is why I almost got turned away once – low iron. So women, if you have plans to give blood make sure to eat foods high in iron. I usually take a supplement too.
And another benefit of giving blood? They tell you your cholesterol.
Lastly, when it has been 56 days, Lifesource will call a couple times a day. I answer and if I don’t schedule an appointment, I tell them I don’t have my calendar in front of me and to call me in a week.

I HATE giving blood. I get hot, nauseous, it takes me forever to donate a full pint… it sucks. In fact, I hate it so much that I gave once at a college blood drive five years ago and never looked back. (Sorry, people who need blood; I’m leaving this one to people who don’t want to throw up/​pass out when they donate.)
That is, until yesterday, when enough time passed for me to forget about my horrible initial experience. I signed up online, which was very easy. Then started having flashbacks to Experience #1… what did I just get myself in to?
Fortunately, the woman who greeted me at Lifesource, took my information, stats, and blood was nothing short of amazing. She was professional and nice right away and gave clear directions. When they put me in the chair, I admitted how I get pretty nervous giving blood. She took all the right measures to comfort me: Put cold packs behind my head and on my chest, distracted me with conversation, and cracked jokes with the other staff members. No trouble finding a vein, either, which was a huge relief. I was done in 10 minutes! Just as a precaution, since I was still lightheaded, she gave me the juice and cookies while I was still in the chair and stayed talking with me during that time, too.
I still dislike giving blood, but I will definitely be back!

People need blood. Go Donate! This is a very convenient location for DePaul student to contribute.