Pimping My Plasma

Janae came to me one day in late winter and told me that she was "donating" plasma and that I should do it too. Janae has a scrapbooking habit and needs cash bad for it, so she "donates" her plasma twice a week.

I'll stop using the quotes around donate now, I just want to make sure it's clear that it's not really donating because you get paid to donate. You can make up to $50 a week by donating twice a week. Instead of giving you cash, they give you a debit card which is loaded at the completion of each donation.

Of course, Janae convinced me to do it, she can be so convincing, and I've been doing it for a few months now. I'm hoarding my money on my debit card to pay for my gas to California this summer. My mom is concerned about the stigma that she says is attached to this type of behavior. Maybe at one time, but there are all types of people donating plasma today. I see a lot of stay-at-home moms and students, of course, but I also see men and women in business attire and retired people.

What I like about donating is that at the place I go, Bio Life Plasma Services, they have a nice clean daycare for my kids that's free, and I have 45 minutes to sit, relax, and read, by myself, uninterrupted. So what if there's a needle and tubing coming out of my arm, I'm not going anywhere. That sweet time with a book is, in itself, a luxury.

Janae and I, because we are the geekiest of geeks, have managed to turn it into a competition. "How long did it take you to donate today?" "45 minutes?" "I beat you, I did 40." The record at the plasma center we frequent is 31 minutes. I'm sure that it was a skinny girl. You have to donate in quantity based on your weight, and even at my best, I've never been a skinny girl. So Janae and I chug the water, because that helps you donate faster, and we pump our arms with vigor during the donation cycles. And one day reeeel soon, I'm gonna blow her outta the water. Watch out, girlfriend!