CMV Hero

I was at the Red Cross the other day giving blood and the Nurse asked me if I knew what the sticker on my Red Cross card meant. I of course don't speak Red Cross so the initials CMV Hero meant nothing to me. Apparently, CMV causes a mild fever in people with a healthy immune system, but usually no further problems. It can be a more serious infection, however, for people with compromised immunity, often leading to encephalitis and viral pneumonia. Once you have been exposed to CMV you are CMV-positive - about 80% of the population is CMV positive - and you can't go back to CMV-negative. The Red Cross screens all new blood donors for CMV antibodies, and designates those that are CMV-negative as "CMV Heroes" because of their ability to help special patients, like infants, cancer patients, transplant patients, and others with compromised immune systems who need CMV-negative transfusions. I have debated lately if I should keep giving blood (so far, I've have a false positive Hepatitis B result, low iron count, and a severely bruised arm); however, knowing that I'm helping patients that maybe couldn't get the blood the needed is enough that I'll keep going. What I don't look forward to is sometime in the future coming in contact with CMV and having to watch the nurse take the sticker off of my card.