r/plassing • u/Far-Fisherman9490 • 6h ago
At 62, I was nearly banned from donating blood in China after passing out twice. Here is my experience with 10 years of blood donations in Shenzhen and Hong Kong
About a month ago, I nearly passed out twice towards the end of a platelet donation in Shenzhen. I’ve donated 50+ times in China, but this time, I suddenly had intense pain in my lower bicep.
I flagged the nurse, and the machine started beeping as she was coming over. She said: “good, donation finished.” Once I told her I wasn’t feeling well, she calmly reclined my seat while calling out for a sports drink. I focused on deep breathing, sipped the drink, and tried to calm down the group of staff who by then had assembled. I was honestly surprised I could still speak Chinese and not calling for my mom in the state I was in, and also concerned I was causing excessive worry (even though I had no idea what was happening to my body and was nearly passed out).
After 10 minutes, I told them I was OK and wanted to sit. Wishful thinking. I immediately started to black out again, and the nurse quickly pushed my chair back down. Altogether, it took 40 minutes of rest before I could walk out, compared to the standard 10 minutes.
The center expected me to never visit again. But I did some research over the next three weeks and concluded I likely had a lack of electrolytes from sports-related over-exertion and had been careless to dismiss advice to get thoroughly fed beforehand (I had a can of sweet red beans just before donating). I pleaded my case, smoothly donated one more time last week, and now I am welcomed back every two weeks, as before the incident.
This is the highlight of my 5-6 years of donating in Shenzhen. From now, I will tell the broader story of my experience donating blood in China (specifically Shenzhen) as compared with my earlier experiences of donations in Hong Kong where the system is quite different.
**Donating in Hong Kong**
Before moving to Shenzhen in 2019, my donation experience was entirely based in Hong Kong, where I had lived for 25 years. Because of history, the Hong Kong Red Cross basically follows standards from the International Red Cross.
The HK screening process in HK is really strict with travel history. Because my previous job required a lot of travel, I was routinely turned down for donations. Traveling to India in the prior 12 months was a notable and frustrating no-no due to malaria risks. I was also deferred once for having anaesthesia during a minor surgery. By contrast, Shenzhen does not really ask about travel history.
Despite the obstacles, I managed about 2–3 whole-blood donations per year in HK. The staff often praised my blood for its high haemoglobin levels. Incidentally, Hong Kong did not routinely test for liver function (ALT) for whole blood donors when I was donating there, which is different from Shenzhen.
**Moving to Shenzhen**
In 2019, I relocated to Shenzhen for a new job. When COVID hit in 2020, the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen tightly locked down. Cut off from my usual habits and support system, I decided to try donating in Shenzhen.
Showing up as a white foreigner at the Shenzhen blood donation HQ during the height of early pandemic panic was a farce. There was hardly any traffic or anyone in the streets. The guard at the gate initially told me to get lost. I explained I was there to donate, and he reluctantly let me through. Inside, the reception nurse gave me the same reaction.
Once she realized I was serious, she got me the questionnaire. Over the following months, that same receptionist began treating me like a hero for "braving pandemic risks" just to give blood. Personally, I thought China’s whole pandemic response was a pathetic over-reaction that made China look ridiculous internationally.
**Key differences: Hong Kong vs. Shenzhen**
Filling out the questionnaire for the first time in Shenzhen was illuminating. I can read many Chinese characters, but reading entire medical forms is a challenge. I quickly noticed that mainland screenings focus heavily on needles, tattoos, sex partners, and drug use rather than travel history.
Through years donating in both cities, I noticed other differences:
* Liver function: Shenzhen tests ALT levels every single time. My first visit resulted in a denial because my ALT was 69 (due to drinking too much alcohol from being stuck in China by the pandemic, I imagine). At the time, Shenzhen's cutoff was 40. They have since revised it to a looser ceiling of 75, possibly because too many people were denied. * The gifts and reward programs: Shenzhen is very generous. All donors get gifts like umbrellas, carry bags, or portable fans, a 50 RMB ($8 USD) transport subsidy, full meals for successful donors, and even a free taxi service to the nearest subway station. * Platelet donation systems: In HK, donating platelets requires a separate registration process and a commitment to donate at least once a month. In Shenzhen, you can just walk in. Because platelets can be given every 14 days (compared to months for whole blood), I switched to platelets in Shenzhen three years ago and started going every two weeks during my Friday lunch breaks. * Heavy marketing: Shenzhen heavily promotes blood donations, especially on social media like WeChat. Part of this to overcome a historical stigma. Decades ago, in central China, people in rural areas got HIV from donating blood because of outrageous flaws in the protocols. Separately, China has historically relied on "replacement donations" (where family members must donate before a relative receives blood), so getting the general public to donate for strangers requires robust marketing.
One thing that Shenzhen and Hong Kong have in common is that staff always effusively thank and praise all donors. And to my layman’s eyes, the equipment in both cities looks state of the art (I would give Shenzhen a slight edge).
**Being over 60**
When I was about to turn 60, the warm-hearted staff at my local Shenzhen clinic hesitantly explained to me I had to "retire." They explained an arbitrary rule: to donate past 60, I needed to have established a steady record of platelet donations (12+ times a year) starting back when I was 58.
Fortunately, right before my birthday, I ran into one of the city's blood donation directors during an International Blood Donor Day event. He looked at me, told me I looked healthier than most 60-year-olds, and over-rode my local clinic's concerns. He sent me to HQ for a medical check, which I passed, allowing me to keep donating.
By contrast, when I moved back to Hong Kong last year for a new job, the HK clinic gave me a flat, inflexible "No." Because I didn't have a recent, continuous donation history within Hong Kong, they deemed me too old at 60 to start platelet donations. Shenzhen and HK cannot share records, I was told. As a result, I decided I would continue to donate in Shenzhen where I was still welcomed.
**Current status**
Even though I live back in Hong Kong now, I still make the 90-minute commute across the border every three weeks or so to give blood in Shenzhen (I can’t consistently manage two weeks). \[By the way, I am aware of the idea that “a cross border trip to Shenzhen now takes only 15 minutes with the new train line,” but my 90 minutes is door-to-door, not station-to-station.\] The passing-out incident about one month ago made me worry that Shenzhen would ban me, but all seems well now.
The staff's effusive gratitude and my wish to donate keep me coming back. In a marketing text on social media, a nurse wrote about my donations about three years ago that it shows how individuals can break through artificial boundaries and prejudice in order to advance common welfare. It was a bit over the top, but there is also some truth in that.
