BajaNomad

URGENT - Health Emergency Need Blood Donor in La Paz

Karuna - 4-16-2025 at 09:51 PM

Hi, my dad is in urgent need of a blood donor in La Paz. Must be type O- or A-. Please email me at karunae@mac.com. And if you know if there's another page on this forum I should move this to, please let me know. This is a life-or-death situation. Thank you for your help.

JZ - 4-16-2025 at 10:14 PM

Maybe Harald can help?

Can anyone contact him?

pauldavidmena - 4-17-2025 at 06:39 AM

If you're on Facebook, the "Talk Baja" and "Todos Santos Newsfeed" groups get a lot of traffic. The "Baja Western Onion" also has a Facebook presence, but I don't know how active it is. Good luck.

4x4abc - 4-17-2025 at 11:17 AM

best bet is the Loco La Pa Expats group on facebook
I can no longer post there since they have kicked me out

since Baja Nomad is removing my posts as well I might not be able to help the community in the future

I am in contact with the OP

4x4abc - 4-17-2025 at 06:03 PM

I used the word "trumpish" in connection with La Paz facebook groups
don't see any US politics in that

but the last many years have shown me that this group loves to own the libs and loves the current president
type in Hilary, Obama or Biden and you'll see that the admin finds
"Obama, the Former Loser in Chief",
"The Kenyan Marxist, Hussein Obama!"
are ok comments - but "trumpish" needed to be removed

and don't get me wrong - if you want to hammer the liberals, go ahead
I'd rather see your true colors than a fake smile

Screen Shot 2025-04-17 at 17.41.34.png - 56kB

AKgringo - 4-17-2025 at 06:42 PM

Harald, you are one of the few Nomads I have met in person. I look forward to meeting you again sometime, and will leave my politics at home!

bajalinda - 4-18-2025 at 07:53 AM

This is not helping the original post: blood donations!

I would gladly donate, but I'm past the age limit.
Karuna - the blood bank has very strict requirements which you are probably aware of by now. In a previous post someone posted a list of the requirements. Try to do a search - that might help you find an acceptable donor. Best wishes for your father.

cupcake - 4-18-2025 at 08:24 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajalinda  


Karuna - the blood bank has very strict requirements which you are probably aware of by now. In a previous post someone posted a list of the requirements.


There is probably a better list online somewhere, but this is what I found:

Common Reasons People Can’t Donate
https://www.nybc.org/donate-blood/donor-eligibility/common-r...

4x4abc - 4-18-2025 at 08:35 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajalinda  
This is not helping the original post: blood donations!

I would gladly donate, but I'm past the age limit.
Karuna - the blood bank has very strict requirements which you are probably aware of by now. In a previous post someone posted a list of the requirements. Try to do a search - that might help you find an acceptable donor. Best wishes for your father.


Baja is not that strict when it comes to blood donations
almost any donor will do

requests for blood donations are a common thing
for some reason the hospitals don't seem to have a steady supply

I will ask my doctor friends why that is so

vacaenbaja - 4-18-2025 at 11:27 AM

https://ourbloodinstitute.org/blood-matters/blood-donation-a...
Taken from above site. Don't know about Baja requirements

"First thing's first, let's do some myth-busting: adults can donate blood no matter their age. In fact, donors over 50 are less likely to experience an adverse reaction than younger donors, according to the AARP.

The confusion around an age cap dates back to a former policy of The American Association of Blood Banks, which used to bar people over 65 from donating without written consent from a doctor, however that rule was rescinded way back in 1978 after studies showed that older people could safely give blood. That change has made way for countless donors to continue to give well into their later life. Donors like Dale Faughn, who held the Guinness World Record for "Oldest Regular Blood Donor" until his April, 2024 passing at the age of 98. Faughn, a WWII veteran from Kentucky, donated more than 36 gallons of blood in his lifetime. He showed up to his local blood center every eight weeks, according to Guinness.

So if you've ever considered giving blood but were worried your age might preclude you from donating, we encourage you to come be a part of our lifesaving community. You can also call us at 888-308-3924 for questions about your health history and eligibility. One appointment has the potential to save three lives, so whether you're 18, 55 or 97, we would love to see you."

pacificobob - 4-19-2025 at 07:13 AM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
I used the word "trumpish" in connection with La Paz facebook groups
don't see any US politics in that

but the last many years have shown me that this group loves to own the libs and loves the current president
type in Hilary, Obama or Biden and you'll see that the admin finds
"Obama, the Former Loser in Chief",
"The Kenyan Marxist, Hussein Obama!"
are ok comments - but "trumpish" needed to be removed

and don't get me wrong - if you want to hammer the liberals, go ahead
I'd rather see your true colors than a fake smile


Spot on Harold. Criticism of dear leader will not be tolerated.

4x4abc - 4-19-2025 at 07:45 AM

the guy searching for donors contacted me last night

he moved his dad to a hospital in Cabo with plenty of blood
seems like the hospital in La Paz was not only incompetent and causing serious additional harm - they also used unethical "negotiation practices"
they not only wanted him to supply the blood but an additional liter to be donated to the hospital for every liter used on the patient
when the son in law of the patient refused the "deal" the hospital refused to release the patient
I have long and painful memories of that same hospital
almost lost my foot and I lost all my money

can't give any names as Mexico is not very friendly to whistleblowers
just like... - oh wait, I can't say that either.

Karuna - 4-22-2025 at 12:16 PM

Thank you immensely to everyone here for your advice and help. It's been a hectic five days, and difficult to find time to respond until now. By the time he got to the hospital in Cabo, he needed platelets. More of the same runaround by the blood bank, to such a degree that it would have been comical if it wasn't a life-and-death situation.

At first the hospital he was at in Cabo was better than La Paz, but we later learned that while it used to be a great one, an investment firm bought it and has now cut many of its resources.

Yesterday we finally got him medivac'd to San Diego, where he has access to all of the resources he needs to (we hope) recover.

None of his conditions would have been too serious to address in the States. But, in this experience, the Mexican health-care system worked like quicksand, with a cascade of ever worsening problems. To give you an idea, he went in to the doctor originally for a colonoscopy, during which they exploded his colon, and then he nearly had heart then kidney failure, then severe sepsis, then he needed platelets -- and if you think its hard to get blood here, just try for those.

Dealing with this has been akin to being in a Twilight Zone episode, where the lead character is surrounded by a parallel universe world that doesn't make sense, but that is impossible to escape from. Hurdles were thrown up everywhere. And blood was always "on it's way," so we kept waiting for a few days... but only once it arrived, and it was not the amount they said, just barely enough to keep him alive. Not sure if the docs knew it wasn't actually coming, but they certainly were not pro-active in telling us that was a strong possibility. At any rate, if we left it to believing them, at either hospital, he would have died.

The US healthcare system has many faluts, and the systems in both countries are corrupt in that both are designed to milk maximum money from insurance. But in Mexico they seem to do it by giving patients just enough to keep surviving, so they are in for a maximum amount of time before expiring or getting better despite the care; whereas in the US they throw everything at you, usually more that you need, in order to maximize insurance payouts. In my dad’s case, I certainly like the latter form of corruption better.

It’s been quite an adventure thus far, but that's typical, as my dad has been a great adventurer his whole life. He’s not out of the woods officially yet, but things are really looking up. Thanks again for all of your support. And try not to get sick in Baja!

surabi - 4-22-2025 at 01:27 PM

What a horror story, Karuna. Glad to hear your dad is now receiving the care he needs.

I wouldn't characterize this as typical of Mexican healthcare, though. Perhaps so in Baja, but I live on the mainland and have several friends who have had serious health crises, i.e. cancer and one who needed heart bypass surgery, and were very pleased with the procedures and care they got.

Big cities like Guadalajara and Mexico City have some excellent doctors, hospitals, and state-of-the-art treatments and equipment. Of course, they aren't all like that, but good health care in Mexico does exist. It's awful that you encountered the opposite.

4x4abc - 4-22-2025 at 02:15 PM

Mexico has great doctors and hospitals
sadly none of them work in Baja

everybody in Baja seems so nice, so kind
but when the light is turned off - everybody is after you
only in Russia I have seen more crooks