Blood donor
Blood donor is an opt-in public directory in LifeWell. If you enable it, your blood group and chosen contact methods become searchable to other LifeWell users who need a donor in your area. Rate limits prevent harassment — most users default to "1 contact request per day, 3 per week, 5 per month". The platform is built around the simple human reality that someone, somewhere, sometimes needs blood urgently.
This feature is completely opt-in. The default is off; you decide whether to participate.
What enabling does
When you toggle Show me in the blood donor directory on:
- Your blood group becomes searchable.
- Your chosen display name + city become public on your donor card.
- Other LifeWell users in need can contact you via your chosen methods.
If you toggle off later, your card disappears from searches; any past contact records remain (so you have history for your own use).
What a donor profile stores
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
bloodGroup | Yes | Standard ABO + Rh (A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, O-) |
displayName | Yes | Your name (or pseudonym) for the directory |
city | Optional | For geographic filtering |
country | Optional | For broader filtering |
contactLimits | Yes | How many requests you'll accept (day / week / month) |
preferredContactMethods | Yes | Subset of in-app / phone / WhatsApp / email |
showPhone | Boolean | Whether to expose your phone number |
showEmail | Boolean | Whether to expose email |
phone | Conditional | Stored only if showPhone is true |
availabilityStatus | Yes | available / cooldown / paused |
Contact methods
You pick which methods other users can use to contact you:
- In-app — they message you via LifeWell chat.
- Phone — they call your phone (you'd have shown your number).
- WhatsApp — they message your WhatsApp (number shown).
- Email — they email you.
Pick all four if you want to be widely reachable; pick only in-app if you want to keep your phone private. The platform respects your choices — only the methods you've enabled are surfaced on your donor card.
Rate limits
To prevent harassment, you set how many contact requests you'll accept:
| Limit | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Per day | 1 | 0–20 |
| Per week | 3 | 0–20 |
| Per month | 5 | 0–20 |
A 0 limit means "no contacts in that window" — useful if you're temporarily paused.
When a requestor exceeds the limit (you've already had a request today and the limit is 1/day), they see a message: "This donor has reached today's contact limit. Try another donor or wait until tomorrow."
Availability status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
available | Active in the directory; contact requests allowed |
cooldown | Recently donated; appears as "in cooldown until [date]" — contact limited |
paused | Manually paused; hidden from search until you resume |
Cooldown follows medical recommendations — most jurisdictions require 56–84 days between whole-blood donations (8 weeks is the common standard from the Red Cross). LifeWell lets you pick 2 to 8 months as cooldown, defaulting to 3 months.
When in cooldown, you appear as cooldown status (not paused) so requestors know you're a real, recent donor and can plan around the future-available date.
Donation records
Each time you donate (whether through LifeWell-coordinated request or independently), log it in the donation history:
- Date.
- Location (donation centre name).
- Type (whole blood / plasma / platelets).
- Volume (mL).
- Notes (any reactions, hydration, etc.).
The log:
- Calculates cooldown end automatically.
- Surfaces total donations / total volume on your profile (lifetime).
- Builds the history a donor centre might ask for.
Finding a donor (the requestor's view)
If you need a donor:
- Open the blood donors directory.
- Filter by blood group + your location (city / country).
- Browse donor cards.
- Tap Contact on a donor whose limits haven't been hit today.
- Pick a contact method (one of their preferred methods).
- Send the request.
LifeWell logs the request on the donor's side (counting toward their rate limit) and forwards the contact via the chosen method.
Verification — donor identity and blood group
Donor profiles aren't auto-verified. The blood group is self-reported. Always verify with a blood test before transfusion. LifeWell does not connect to medical-test databases or government donor registries.
The honest framing: the directory is a starting point ("are there any A-positive donors in my city?"), not a clinical guarantee. A donor centre / hospital does the actual matching.
What this feature is
- A way for users willing to donate to be findable in emergencies.
- A respectful contact system with built-in rate limits.
- A personal donation log.
- A bridge to local donation centres (LifeWell does not transfuse anyone).
What this feature is not
- Not a clinical donor matching service. Hospitals do the matching with full testing.
- Not a blood bank. LifeWell doesn't hold any blood.
- Not anonymous. Donor cards show display name + city; you're contactable.
- Not for cross-border emergencies in most cases. Blood logistics are local.
- Not insurance-billable. Donation is voluntary.
Honest framing on blood donation generally
A few facts worth knowing (Red Cross + WHO public-health resources):
- Most people can donate. Age, weight, recent health, and recent travel are the typical screens.
- Whole-blood donation takes about an hour — the actual blood draw is ~8–10 minutes.
- Cooldowns between donations: 56 days for whole blood (US Red Cross), 8 weeks (UK NHS). Platelets shorter; plasma can be more frequent.
- Recovery — most donors feel fine afterward with adequate hydration; some experience light dizziness.
- Compatibility: O-negative is universal donor; AB-positive is universal recipient. ABO + Rh matching is essential for safe transfusion.
LifeWell links to the Red Cross, NHS, and your country's national blood-service guidance for full details.
Privacy
The opt-in nature is essential:
- Default off.
- Profile data minimised — only what you choose to share.
- Phone / email visibility separately controllable.
- Pseudonyms allowed.
- Pause at any time; remove from directory at any time.
- Past contact requests logged for your own audit.
Frequently asked
Will I be flooded with requests? The rate limits cap this. With the default 1/day, 3/week, 5/month, even a popular donor in a small area handles a manageable volume.
Can I see who contacted me historically? Yes — your blood-donor activity log shows past contacts (their pseudonym + city + date + outcome if you marked it).
What if I get a request from someone obviously not in need? Use the Report button. The platform investigates suspicious requestors.
Do I have to share my real name? No — display name can be a pseudonym. The trade-off: some recipients prefer real-name donors for trust.
What's the relationship between LifeWell and official blood services? None formally. LifeWell is a peer directory. Official services (Red Cross, NHS, etc.) operate independently. LifeWell directs users to those services for actual donation.
Where to read next
- Medical info — blood group is stored here too.
- Privacy and security — opt-in posture across LifeWell.
- Reminders — set a cooldown-ending reminder.
Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood