Hey guys...

Because of the phone lines here still being screwy, just thought I'd give you an update via Ye Olde Message Board that my email is still out. Still owe a shout-out to those I mentioned yesterday, and an additional one to MISTOFLEAS - sweetie, got your email and will send you my mailing addy for the painting as soon as I have email again! Not to worry...

I couldn't take sitting around the apartment for another day, I thought I'd go nuts. And watching more of the footage over and over wasn't helping, so I got out of the house today, finally. I did watch some coverage this morning, and tuned into the memorial service at noon, which was beautiful. Then they ran a scrolling graphic along the bottom where to bring donations for the volunteers in Manhattan. Last night and all day today, it rained and it was FREEZING! So, they were specifically asking for hot food and hot coffee for the volunteers, plus raingear, tarpulins, towels, etc. I figured I've sat around being stunned and freaked out for several days now, and the only way to start getting past this is to start feeling useful. I can't carry alot on my own, and I didn't have the resources to bring them anything hot as I live so far away, but I went to the supermarket and bought a dozen cans of soup and three cans of coffee and subwayed it downtown to the volunteer center. While I was down there, I also noticed that the ASPCA was taking donations, which never dawned on me! I mean, I LOVE animals, I always give to the ASPCA, et al, and I totally forgot how this affects pets too. Quite frankly, there are now, sadly, alot of pets being rescued from the apartments and homes of people who died in the attack - pets who's owners never came home. So, while I was there, I gave a money donation to the ASPCA as soon as I saw them, and it dawned on me that they were pretty busy right now doing homeless pet rescues. So, I felt better that I did something positive, something to help. I can't donate blood because of the hepatitis vaccinations I got before I left for Korea. Turns out if you get the hep vaccination, from then on in, you test positive for hep and can't donate blood anymore. So, I needed to do something positive that's a step forward towards healing and helps the people who are REALLY suffering!!!

And that's how my day went - alot better than my last few posts, huh?

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• RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,SkyRaider, 07:56 PM, 09-14-01
  • I Like Your Sig Ribbon, Sky...,IceCat, 09:01 PM, 09-14-01
    • RE: I Like Your Sig Ribbon, Sky...,true, 09:43 PM, 09-14-01
• RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,true, 08:15 PM, 09-14-01
  • RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,SkyRaider, 08:27 PM, 09-14-01
    • RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,ItzLisa, 09:12 AM, 09-15-01
    • RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,aymelek, 10:19 AM, 09-15-01
      • RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,true, 11:04 AM, 09-15-01
• RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,LadyT, 08:35 PM, 09-14-01
• RE: MY EMAIL IS STILL OUT...,VampKira, 02:03 PM, 09-15-01

LAST EDITED ON 09-14-01 AT 08:02 PM (EST)

Lisa.....You are such a kind, caring and giving person! If only everyone in the world were like you, what a great place it would be.

You know that you can't leave the country, don't you? Your guy will have to move somewhere in the U.S. It's against the law to export National Treasures.

LAST EDITED ON 09-15-01 AT 00:38 AM (EST)

You've inspired me to come out in support with a Canadian spin...

I plan to wear this 'ribbon' until justice is finally served.

My fellow Canadian posters are all welcome to use this 'ribbon', if they'd like.

That is very thoughtful IceCat.

And Sky, I like yours very much. I am also inspired to fly the flag, and I hope everyone will join in. Anybody who wants to, feel free to use this one.

true

>I can't donate blood because
>of the hepatitis vaccinations I
>got before I left for
>Korea. Turns out if
>you get the hep vaccination,
>from then on in, you
>test positive for hep and
>can't donate blood anymore.

Wow! I have never heard this before. Hepatitis vaccines are so common, I assume yours was for hep A????? I could not find this info anywere on the Red Cross site, or from the CDC site. This really troubles me. Hep B vaccines are now required for children. If this is indeed true, we will have nobody left to donate blood.

This site has a FAQ that contains info on Hepatitis, as it relates to blood donation, but I cant find any info that prohibits people who have been vaccinated from ever giving blood.

http://www.arcnocal.org/arcfaqs.htm

Does anybody know more about this?

true

I *think* that it's only a temporary hinderance as far as blood donations. Lisa had the vaccination rather recently so she has some of the live little "heps" still running around in her system that make up the serum.

Sky could be right about that, True. 'Cos what you said makes sense now - if more people are getting hep vaccinations, who'd be left to donate blood? Not sure of how they're getting around this, but when you put it like that, yeah, it doesn't make sense. I know what I was told, but Sky could be right in that maybe it's just temporary. But at any rate, because there are very few survivors and so many kind people who donated blood that they don't need anymore donors, I heard as of last night. Right now, it's mostly just recovery of the bodies.

Borrowing True's flag so Bubbles can show her support, too!

Trish, that's awesome what your office is doing! The covering for the dogs' feet make sense - again, stuff I never even thought of!

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LAST EDITED ON 09-15-01 AT 10:27 AM (EST)

Having the vaccinations for hep A or B won't affect your ability to donate blood. Most vaccines are inactivated whole virus (Hep A vaccines) or syntheticaly prepared by recombinant DNA preps (Hep B vaccines). The Hep B vaccine will never affect your ability to donate blood. Inactivated virus vaccines are not alive, so there will never be any live virus in you, just little dead skeletons. Being injected with inactivated virus means you will still have an immune response to it (making your own antibodies to it), and that may be a concern in this case.

Having had the disease hepatitis and thus, having the live antigen, WILL affect your ability to donate.

Edited to fix a mis-quote and say that people who have been out of the country within the last 6 months or so cannot give blood, so this may have been the reason Itz was turned away.

Thanks, very much for your responses, Sky, Itz, and Ayms! I'm sure you are right.

true

I thought you might like this Itz. My work is gathering donations for the AMerican Red Cross which our company matches. At the meeting about this, someone brought up the dogs that are helping in the search. The dogs need booties, preferably made out of denim so that their paws don't get injuried, some vet tape (no one really knew what that was) and Opti clear for their eyes. We are gathering donations, which will be matched, and sending any supplies and money to the dogs in NYC. I forget who, but I will get the info soon and post it soon. I never thought that the dogs would need care too.

Lisa... Sky is right.. You ARE a national treasure! (((HUG)))

And true?? Thank you.. I think I would like to wave our flag..

And Dalton??? Check your e mail!

"We'll know for the first time,
If we're evil or divine...
We're the last in line." - Ronnie James Dio

Du ar min hjälte, Supermänniska