Did you know Canada no longer restricts blood donations from gay men? Hoping more countries do the same!

In England, we have a thing I really love about donating blood. Once you’ve donated and they have your information, you actually get a text after a few days that tells you what hospital or facility your blood was sent to! I love to know where my blood has gone to help, it’s super interesting to me to see how far it went, or if it’s been sent somewhere I’ve never even visited😂🥰

I have received over 200+ units of blood from through out my entire life. I just want to thank anyone who donates, you have saved my life and countless others. Thank you.

As a thalassemia patient my life literally depends on blood donors, require 4 units of red blood cells every 4 weeks to survive. THANK YOU to anyone reading this who donates blood

I became severely anemic 12 years ago and needed transfusions. I received seven bags during one hospital stay. I am indebted to the wonderful people who donated ❤

Huge shout out to everyone who donates blood, my brother was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2021 and needed a lot of transfusions, with out people like you he wouldn't have made it, so thank you

Wow! That's science at it's best! 😍 My father was a regular blood donor until a few years ago. He used to live in the immediate vicinity of a hospital (before I was born, more than 40 years ago) and because he was registered as a donor, it sometimes happened that his landline phone suddenly rang at some hour asking if he could donate blood because they needed blood so urgently. Once there was a serious traffic accident in the city area and my father got the call at three o'clock in the morning, he went to donate blood and read in the newspaper the day after next that thanks to the willingness of several people to spontaneously donate blood, one of the accident victims could be saved after a twelve-hour operation. Nowadays, of course, there are much stricter guidelines, that was the case more than 40 years ago. As a child, my father used to take me to donate blood in our village. A few women from the volunteer fire brigade cooked and prepared a small buffet and only when you had eaten your starter, main course and dessert did the strict nurses let you go home. 😂 My father got a golden pin because he donated more often - I think you get that in Germany after 50 or 100 donations? 🙂 I would also like to donate, but unfortunately I am not allowed to for medical reasons and my father regrets very much that he is no longer allowed to donate due to medical reasons and his age.

I have been donating regularly since I was teenager and now I'm almost 30. It is the best community service I have ever done

As someone who works in the hospital lab and gives out the units of blood, thank you for making this. I only see the end stages of the blood testing (AKA crossmatching to the piatient), so I've never been able to see the blood servies testing. All that equipment is incredible to see! Please donate! Please!

Thanks for showing this! A few years ago I had a ruptured aneurysm in my lower GI. Between the ER and the ward, I needed a little over 60 units of blood. It's amazing to think how many people it took to save my life. Donors are absolute hero's and so are the people working to make it happen.

I got a text this week that my last donation was sent to the hospital for a patient! Such a good feeling! One of the most high-impact things you can do for others that costs you nothing but a small amount of time.

I miss being able to donate. I’m on meds that disqualify me. Thankful for all that can and do donate because it helped save my life.

There are lots of people who claim to be this or that, but Siobhan is ACTUALLY awesome. Like genuinely, actually an awesome person.

I work at the blood bank here in Norway so I'm so happy seeing you talk about donating blood because it's super important! As someone who also donates blood myself it's really interesting to see everything going on inside the lab and what actually happens to the blood before it can be distributed to patients

This was so fantastic to see where the blood goes and how it's processed. I started donating blood regularly this year after a friend encouraged me to and I've reached 4 donations this year, the most I could get! The Oreos are my favourite ❤️ After your first donation you can complete the donor questionnaire online before your appointment and save some time in the clinic! If you've previously been ineligible to donate it's worth checking back too, many requirements have changed and eligibility is constantly evolving as more research is done on blood product safety.

As an Rh neg Mom, thank you to donators! I recieved several doses of blood products throughout both of my pregnancies and deliveries. ❤

Omg this video gave me goosebumps. When i was working as a research assistant we used to do this all the time in our hematology and immunology experiments. It is really cool

I work in a hospital laboratory in Texas and I issue blood products regularly. Thank you for sharing the behind the scenes! I can’t wait to share this with my nurses and doctors! ❤

I have just donated blood for the first time a month ago, and it was worth it! Thank you for showing us what happens “Behind the Scenes!”

I am alive today because of blood donors. I can't give blood myself, but I think anyone who does is a hero. Thank you to anyone who's given such a small thing that means life for others.

This is amazing I'm from California and I donate platelets and plasma with the American red cross. It's so amazing to see what happens in a different part of the world when it comes to donating whole blood and platelets but in the end no matter where we are in the world it is the same meaning

This was such a cool video! My uncle lost a massive amount of blood during a surgery, so this gave me huge insight into how much effort it takes to get blood products to wherever they are needed. Thank you to everyone who donates - it literally saves lives ❤

I’m sadly ineligible to donate. But I have been the recipient on more than one occasion. I was also one of the millions who got a registered letter indicating I had to be tested due to the 80’s contamination issue. Was the scariest week not knowing if I had contracted a disease. I was a lucky one and got the all clear. I hope that your video does push more people to donate!! ❤️❤️

Thank you for showing the process and procedures of what happens to people’s donations! I miss donating blood but I can’t because of having lived in the UK.

As someone who’s had blood transfusions (and dialysis) thank you! Thank you to anyone who has donated!

I’ve had exactly one blood transfusion from a major GI bleed. Never been so thankful for blood donors!

I was a blood recipient in February and a donor in October. I am so thankful for the blood donation process! Love this video showcasing the journey my blood went on...both received and donated.

👏👏 *SO glad that you spoke of this* . I donate the max. 4 times a year... as a a female {Canada🍁}. I think it is critical as all too many people seem to think blood + blood products magically grow on trees. I wish a campaign to 'educate' pre-teens onward existed through the school system....college campuses barely have events. I live in the province w/h top percentile of most post secondary educated & even here it is sorely lacking the amount that donate. Also if anyone thinks they cannot or told they can't, donate the FULL amount, in Canada at least, there are certain bigger city blood collection centres that take smaller portions to then use for important testing, lab work and so on. I love how we are then texted and thanked plus informed along the way when the donation is received at the centre, processed, and shipped. I am not told what exact hospital that it went to, but a couple of times have been told it was sent to another region of Canada in high need of my blood type. I started when finished high school and am hoping it can still be done into wayyy later elder years as I know people in their 80's still donating.

thanks for not only your donation but also for showing how it's treated in order to become what hospitals use. It's really interesting and I can vouch from experience how incredibly needed it can be. I had a MASSIVE late post partum hemorrhage after emergency CS complications and needed emergency surgery after passing out from blood loss upon arrival at hospital. When I woke up I was told I had been a few minutes away from dying and that they had had to give me a LOT of blood to stabilize me. Without people like you that donate, I'd be dead and my youngest wouldn't have even had the chance to know me

I’m glad you talked about this. I donate every month but always wondered what really happens after!

I will be honest, I think I was what you would have classed in Canada as a code Omega. I was not in any car accident, but I had a medication I was taking go horribly wrong to the point where my immune system wasn't producing any blood whatsoever. No white blood cells no plalets no plasma no red blood cells. I required two units of blood in the emergency department at the children's Hospital to stabilize me. Thank you so much for showing others and educating me about what happens behind the scenes to get that blood to people like myself. PS. I'm off that medication now and have been for 15 years and I'm doing so much better because of it.

Hey what's up Siobhan and Mark! Thank you for another super awesome video/lesson on the wonderful medical world! This one was near and dear to me as my mom is a retired Lab technician that handled and tested blood everyday. I even got to do smears in the lab one time with her! Blood donation is so important and life saving and I thank you so much for bringing this info to us! That huge lab must have been super exciting to be in. I look forward to the next medical adventure, be well, be safe and Cheers!!!

What a great video!! My son was born prematurely and received donated blood and breast milk in the NICU. I will always be grateful for the people who took the time to help my son - probably before he was even born! ❤️💙

Now, you get to save lives in a whole different way. Keep up the good work!!!!

You didn’t mention that plasma itself could be donated except hinting at it by saying that for plasma thousands of donations are needed for one dose. With whole blood you can only donate once every 8 weeks (56 days) but for just plasma specifically you can donate twice a week within a 7 day period with at least 48 hours between the two donations so that your body can replenish its own plasma. I pretty much already knew all this before I started watching right now. Happy pumping😊

Thank you for donating your blood. I donate on a regular basis and it feels good to be able to help people. Side note: the audio in this video is pretty low, makes it difficult to hear clearly.

I used to donate blood. Once, I even got a letter telling me that my donation had actually been used to treat someone. That made me wonder if my previous donations had not been used and were discarded after they expired. Then, three years ago, I needed transfusions. I received 5 units of blood after experiencing an in-stent thrombosis and heart attack that led to 40 minutes of cardiac arrest. I needed 1 unit in the first few days, but I'm not sure why exactly. A few days later they realized my leg was swelling from DVT, so they gave me stronger blood thinners, a shot followed by oral Eliquis (plus they had started me on Brilinta and kept me on it). However, that resulted in a GI bleed from ischemic colitis caused by the cardiac arrest. They thought it would get better on its own and sent me to a rehab hospital, but it got worse and my H&H crashed, so I went back to the ER and they gave me 4 more units of blood over a few days. Plus, they stopped the Eliquis and installed an IVC filter to catch any breakaway clots from the DVT to prevent a pulmonary embolism. I went home after a month. A month later, they scoped the GI injury, said it was healed and restarted the Eliquis for 6 months. They removed the IVCF a few months later, which resulted in a hassle as the wound in my jugular vein wouldn't stop bleeding, putting me back in the hospital for a couple days. I was thankful and wanted to start donating blood again, once I was off the Eliquis. However, I remained anemic for the following year, and they don't know why. Every time they drew blood for a test, my H&H would drop a couple points. So, my doctor says I probably can't donate blood anymore. 😥

What an eye opener! I am amazed how organized the blood service in Canada is. I'm so proud! 🇨🇦 Thank you Sibbion, for opening my eyes about dononation. ❤

This is awesome that you guys made a video about this. In my opinion, people are more likely to go and donate when they see someone else do it-especially if that someone has any type of influence over another (I.e. a doctor.) I have a super high platelet count, so they ask me to donate every chance that I can. Awesome to see this! 😊

That’s crazy! I am so excited to see this video!! I donate blood and it’s crazy to know the process now! Thank you so much for this video

This was so incredible to watch, thank you so much for showing this to us! I’m 29 and I’ve received too many blood and platelet transfusions to count and I’m so grateful for all who’ve donated! I needed the transfusions when I got endocarditis from a central line (port a cath) used to treat another illness. I’ve also needed 7 heart surgeries, including 2 open heart surgeries, all in the past 4 years and have required blood transfusions for most of those surgeries. I will need more open heart surgeries in my future so I know I’ll be receiving more transfusions. I wish I could donate but due to my health conditions I can’t donate. Thanks again for donating and for sharing this!!

Thanks . Very informative. The best part of your videos is how enthusiastic you are . It’s so fun to watch you . I bet you are a wonderful doc with patients.

This video is SO cool. I love knowing all the little details about how things work and it's so great to see where my blood goes! Thanks so much!

Hi Dr. Siobhan! I just wanted to let you know how very much I enjoy your videos, the educational content and sharing your journey. I see the love you have for your profession and how much you enjoy sharing your experiences to others, especially in the Medical field. Your videos inspire Med students and new Physicians in their own careers. I am a retired RN--made it to 50 yrs. I absolutely LOVED my job and had a very fulfilling career. I saw and did many things in those years along with all the advances in medicine. Thank you so much for giving of yourself 😊

I work for Canadian blood services and when i saw this video come up i was so excited. I saw it on our website aswell and was so happy! Thabks for doing this!!!!

This is AMAZING! Such a good education video not only for the healthcare professionals out there but also for those who aren’t familiar of some of these things! Thank you for taking the time to educate us all!

I recently discovered this channel and have been binge watching for about a week. I'm not in the field, but as a disabled man who has seen his share of doctors and nurses and others in health care do what they do, my respect for you all is immeasurable. I particularly respect those who obviously do it for the right reason - they genuinely care for the well-being of patients. It takes a rare breed of human to do what you do. I hope you are proud of yourself. You should be. You are a gem. Your husband, too. Thanks for making the world a better place.

Having been on the receiving end of the blood that is donated (over 100 blood transfusions) thank you!

I've been donating every 3 months for years now, it was so beautiful to watch this video, Thank You !

I donate blood. It's the best feeling ever that you are possibly saving someones life (Wales)

Thank you so much for this video! Im currently in my clinicals for my medical laboratory science program and i was sad that i wasnt able to see this part of the blood bank! This was definitely an amazing video to how everything works behind the scenes

Thank you for what you both do BUT most importantly helping out giving blood

Yaay! It will be good to watch another video from Dr. Siobhan! ❤

@Violin MD Wow, I have to thank the kind donors and all the hardworking people who process the blood as I needed a life saving blood transplant. This was fascinating and I really learned so much about the stops involved. Thank you kindly Siobhan for your simple, educational videos

You're getting so close to a million subscribers! That's amazing

So fascinating! I really love watching your videos on all of the different aspects of medicine!

What a great idea to show what happens behind the scene. Thanks! I have been a RN for a long time & always wondered the process.

I wish I could donate blood again. I was gutted when they refused me the last time and told me I wasn't able to donate. :( My family and I used to race all the time and see who was the faster donor haha it was so much fun. And then you get a juice and cookies after! Best part is you're helping to save a life. I really miss being able to donate.

Thanks for showing the process!

I've donated 6 times now! This was a great explanation! Thank you!

Long time viewer, first time commenter. Your videos are awesome, keep up the great work doc! I'm not even remotely in the medical field (airline pilot) yet I find your work and videos so fascinating and feel myself getting excited each time I get a notification for a new Violin MD video.

I'm learning about blood in my biology class, so it's really interesting to see this process. Thank you for the insider information video. It was super fascinating

I've been donating for years and am so happy I could see what has happened to my blood - I'm from the GTA. Thank you for making this video!

I really appreciate your videos because it helps me see different types of career and roles there are in health care/ the medical field. Helps understand that there are many different options to choose that you like or find interesting as someone who wants to do something health care related

Blood transfusions saved my life. I will forever be grateful to the people who donated. I urge everyone who can, to donate blood. It's an amazing thing we can do to help each other.

This is really a cool video to do. Blood donor in the US and it’s so inspiring to see the whole process happening. Thank you for all that you do!

That's pretty cool. I gave blood for the first time yesterday. I had no idea what happens to it after you donate it. I'll do it again in three months with my daughter. Thanks for making this video.

Ty so much for this update !!! I'm looking fwd to donating blood soon

This has been a great video! I'm donating blood this week and its amazing to know the process now! THANK YOU!!!

thank you guys for showing us all the process behind donating blood and motivating us to give blood. I'm gonna check out my local blood donation center. love xx

That was an amazing video! Luckily I did not need to be on the receiving side of that, but I learned that 1250ml of my blood was lost during a recent surgery. I naively thought people donated 1L of blood, not 1 pint, so I didn't think much of it. That certainly explains why I was so exhausted, that's 2.6 pints! Thanks for spending so much time on these awesome videos. I have followed you since year 1 or 2 of residency, and it's absolutely amazing what you both have achieved. I wish the very best for you both!

As a CBS employee I do really appreciate that you have taken your time to share your experiences and journey of Blood products... Thank you for your donation !

Medic in Ireland and I regularly donate platelets via apheresis!! It truly is an amazing thing to do and so many people denied here previously due to stringent donor laws. Things have changed just yesterday so hopefully the future is bright here!! Thanks for showing the processing Siobhan

I had to get a blood transfusion in 2021, 2 bags! I was-so Great-full for whoever Donated that Blood! It saved my Life❤️✨🙏🏻

You and your husband are so awesome for sharing this with us!! Now I know where blood donations go!! How cool!

Great vlog today, I really enjoyed learning how all the blood by-products are created for patient use. I have had a blood transfusion done in the past so I was amazed to see all the equipment needed and the technology that has gone into creating it all. Thank you and this process was great to see.

I work in a blood bank in the USA! Thank you for showing the world who we are! GO DONATE BLOOD!!!

Fascinating! Thank you for all your work (KZfaq AND medicine of course) :)

I donated for the first time and it was a great experience start to finish. The staff were so nice and caring.

As a regular blood donor, this encourages me to continue to give. Going to share this great video with my FB friends!

I've been donating for 22 years and never even thought how it's processed. Thank you for this video! 😊

So fascinating, thank you for sharing this!

I appreciate every blood doner!! When i gave birth to my son I bled out and was sent to emergency surgery and was given blood. Without the help of blood doners I would not be here today 💕 Thank you for those who donate blood you save lives!!

Thanks for making this video! Ive donated 50 + times and have always wondered what happens after!!

I work in the lab and this video was really cool to see!

I work at a blood center in the US as a phlebotomist and it brings me joy to see that someone has shared the process feom beginning to end as I know a lot of people are curious

Well done you two!

i saw your tiktok about donating blood last week, and I decided to finally make an appointment to go donate myself! I've always wanted to donate, but I've been really nervous to do so! Going next week after my final exams are done :)

This is so cool and so timely (I just donated!) I never really thought about where my blood goes after I donate, this was SO interesting! Thanks

In Italy, some days after donation, they send us full blood analysis! plus an heart check once a year. We have associations such as AVIS (Association of Italian Blood Volunteers) that take care of contacting registered donors every 3 month and making sure that the donation room is always full every day. After the donation everyone is given the opportunity to eat a sandwich or a croissant, fruit juice and coffee. 2 Million of donations in 2021 (we are 59 million people living in Italy). Fun fact: Paid blood donations in Italy are prohibited by law.

I get ivig so cool on this and I'm happy people are doing it keeps me from getting to sick in life

This was so interesting Dr, thank you for sharing.

I LOVE THAT YOU'RE SHOWING EVERYONE MY FIELD! blood is my passion!

The race to donate is always a fun game to play. Also when you set up your online account you can track and see what your average donation time is.

I’m such a wimp when it comes to blood in needles. I can’t look at either without feeling queasy. I literally have to turn my screen watching this. However, I find your channel so interesting and it’s really fascinating to watch each episode. You guys are awesome! I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for doctors like you. I’ve been at death’s door a few different times. So thank you for what you do.❤

even though I have a fear of blood this video was actually so interesting and cool to watch

As a board-certified medical laboratory scientist (MLS) thanks for showing the public one part of what the blood bank does! In addition to processing and dispensing blood products, we are also responsible for typing/screening blood samples (to tell you what blood type you are and if you have any antibodies to certain components on your blood cells that could potentially cause a reaction) and performing cross matches with donated components to check for compatibility! Like a lot of healthcare fields, the clinical lab is experiencing serious staffing shortages, so if you think this is cool maybe a career as a MLS/MLT is right for you!

So interesting, thank you for making these videos!

Hello, I work for NHS blood and transplant and must say it is a very rewarding job we do with very precious products. Some very generous generous people in this world who come and donate for us ❤

This is a must watch for new and recurring blood donors!