Blood money

Gary Cullen is not a high roller. The senior painting major requires only the simple things in life: beer on the weekends, gas for his car and cigarettes.

While school is in session, though, Cullen spends a lot of time in class and in the studio painting, making a regular job next to impossible and pocket money rare.

So, to make a little cash, Cullen donates plasma.

He donates twice a week to Aventis Bio-Services, Inc. in Akron. On his first visit for the week to Aventis he gets $20, on his second visit he receives another $30.

This may sound like a great way to make $50 a week, but there are some drawbacks.

First, donors should get to the plasma bank early — like 6 a.m. early. Second, after waiting in line, donors must be weighed, get their fingers pricked and have their temperatures and pulses taken before they can proceed.

Cullen says that, physically, giving plasma isn’t as simple as one might think, either. For one, it’s nowhere near as quick and painless as blood donation.

The donation — chair and needle time —can take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Medical technicians hook donors up to needles, take blood, mix the blood with an anticoagulant (to keep the blood from clotting), take plasma from the blood, then return blood back to the donor through the needle. This process happens over and over until a donor has given all the plasma he can give.

Denise Meriman, a registered nurse at Aventis, says some donors get sick to their stomachs or dizzy, but that is usually because a donor hasn’t eaten a full meal or hasn’t consumed enough liquid prior to donation.

“I’ve never gotten sick, and the needle isn’t that bad. It’s a lot like getting pierced,” Cullen says tugging on his septum ring.

Cullen found a way to maximize his plasma earnings through Aventis.

“The best thing was if you brought a friend that donated at least twice, you got an extra $10. I brought like five friends.”

The plasma Aventis collects is used to make a variety of medicines to treat people with hemophilia and immune disorders. Plasma is also an ingredient in many vaccines and is given to victims who have lost a lot of blood in accidents or surgeries.