Recently, I was notified by the American Red Cross that I am what's called a "baby donor".

The person on the phone asked me if anyone had ever explained that to me and if I knew what that was. I said no. She went on to tell me that I am in the 12% of the population that tests negative for CMV, and that means that they can use my blood for newborns in the NICU or burn victims or cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Basically, anyone that has a compromised immune system can have my blood or any parts of it like the plasma, platelets and red cells. Considering that only 3% of the population are blood donors and out of that 3% only 12% test negative for CMV, that makes my blood rare and valuable. My now exhusband forbid me to have anymore children years ago and broke my heart immensely and devastated me. I have always been mysteriously drawn to donate blood for years and was even a plasma donor for a while and an aphaeresis donor for a while. I have also been on the National Bone Marrow Registry for about 17 years now. The fact that I may save or already have saved babies leaves me speechless. For the few out there that know me that well, you all can see how really awesome this is for me. What is CMV? CMV (Cytomegalovirus) CMV is a complex flu-like virus that most adults are exposed to at sometime in their lives. It is a double stranded DNA virus belonging to the herpes virus family. Who gets CMV? Almost everyone is susceptible to the virus, although males ages 18-26 seem to be the least likely to get it. As with other viruses, once you've had them, your body retains the antibodies. Why is CMV Negative Blood Preferred for Pediatric Transfusions? CMV can persist in infected donor white cells and is often transmitted by a blood transfusion, but rarely causes disease. However, in the case of low birth weight infants the consequences of such infection may be severe or even fatal. Because the immune systems in these infants are not fully developed, every precaution must be taken to avoid infection. Scientific studies have shown blood lacking this virus (CMV negative blood) is safer for pediatric patients. Therefore, hospitals prefer to use CMV negative pediatric units to ensure the safety of blood transfusions to newborns. It is also possible that recipients of live donor transplants (such as partial livers to cirrhosis patients and bone marrow) will be much less likely to reject the organ or bone marrow.