LifeSource – Chicagoland’s Blood Center

FYI-​this location is closed for blood donations.

Note: This is where the Erie location relocated to…
The building has changed, the staff remains! I like the people who work here a lot. I give blood every 2 – 3 months or so either here or at the donation fairs we have at my office. The staff is funny and friendly.
Blood banks are grateful for your donation. They want you to eat the snacks, they want to talk to you, they want you to come back.
That said, there are some things you can do to either expediate or improve your experience.
Water! As in, drink it! Lots of it, more than you think you need. I am a veteran donor, but because I usually drink my 8 glasses in the morning, I never paid attention to its effect on my donating process.
Cut to a recent visit when I happened to guzzle about 40 oz. an hour or so before my donation. I’m not kidding when I say it was the best donation of my life – and I’ve donated probably 30 times!
Iron. If you’re a woman and usually low, have them check it for you at the beginning. If you don’t qualify, you won’t have waited 30 minutes to find out. Also, you won’t be able to come back for 3 weeks but you can reschedule while you’re there.
Finally, soapbox portion: We all have crap we’re afraid of. Me? I need to get myself over my fear of heights. But with blood, there are so few of us even eligible/​healthy enough to give… try to get over the fear if you can.
Note: The location is 5-​star worthy, but the bothersome phone calls begging you to donate cause me endless annoyance. So, I removed a star.