FresYes’ 5th Annual Blood Drive is Saturday, November 16th. Over the years, we have received many questions about the process, who is eligible to donate, how to prepare and more. Here is a FAQs run-down:

How long does it take?

The donation process includes registration, a brief medical screening, blood collection, and time for refreshments following the donation. The entire donation process usually takes about one hour and the actual blood collection segment is usually about 15 minutes. 

I recently donated blood, how often can I give?

Blood donors may give once every 56 days (eight weeks) in order to allow plenty of time to replenish their red blood cells.

How does giving blood affect me?

Very little! Your fluid volume is back to normal within 24 hours after you donate. Your white cell count returns to normal within 72 hours after you donate. An adult of average weight has about 10 to 12 pints of blood so the one taken is hardly missed.

Is there a minimum or maximum age limit on donating blood?

Donors must be at least 18 years old (16 and 17-year-olds must have written parental consent). There is no upper age limit.

How can I increase my iron level?

Donors may be deferred from donating due to a low iron level. This requirement is for the safety of the donor to ensure that after donation, the donor’s iron level will still be within the normal range for a healthy adult. Eating foods high in iron (e.g. red meat, dark green vegetables, cream of wheat, raisins) or taking a multivitamin with iron may help increase the red blood cell count (iron levels). For more information about iron-rich foods, click here.

What are the general requirements for donating blood?

Age: 18 years old ( 16 or 17 with parental consent)

Weight: Donors must be in good health and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds

Blood Pressure: Lower than 180/100 mmHg.

Medication: Use of many or most medications is acceptable, whether obtained “over the counter” or by prescription from your personal physician. See the restricted list here

Medical History: There are many medical conditions that do not prevent you from preventing blood. See the detailed list

One of the most popular questions we get is about tattoos and permanent makeup. Here are the new rules:

In preparing to donate blood you’ll want to make sure you are well-hydrated, eat before donating, and avoid caffeine and alcohol the day of. 

We hope to have as many of you as possible at our blood drive!

Please Register Here

FAQs provided courtest of the Central California Blood Center

Though it may seem a bit early to begin your holiday shopping (or for those of you that are early birds, maybe even late?) there’s one local gift that you’ll definitely want to snag later this week if you’re looking to pamper a loved one – a gift certificate for a trip to Muses.

Muses is a Day Spa located on the northwest corner of Cedar and Teague in northeast Fresno. Whether you’re someone whose lifestyle allows for frequent visits to a Day Spa, or one who reserves such an experience for very special occasions, I’m certain Muses will be worth it, any time you can go.  I’m a “special occasion” spa-goer who mainly gets to visit when I receive a gift certificate or if my husband and I decide to go for a couple’s massage as an anniversary gift to one another. We’ve both visited other local spas for special occasions, but the experience doesn’t compare to the relaxing atmosphere and high level of service offered at Muses. 

Muses offers massages, facials, spa manicures and pedicures, microdermabrasion and facial peels, airbrush tanning, makeup artistry, anti-aging treatments and more. There are services designed specifically for men, including their Just for Men package which includes a 60-minute massage, a neck, and scalp massage and a men’s pedicure for $155. So, if you’re a man reading this, you can absolutely enjoy a trip to Muses and I’ve seen plenty of men arriving and leaving from appointments there on my visits. 

Making an appointment for a spa service at Muses is easy, as they provide a straightforward menu of their services and easy online booking on their website. I was very grateful to receive a gift certificate to Muses for my birthday this year, so I recently was able to enjoy a wonderful massage there. During my visit, I snapped a few photos, because I knew I would want to share this gem of a place with you as the holidays approached.

When booking, I recommend allowing time to arrive early for your appointment, as Muses has an incredibly cozy and well-appointed relaxation room that you get to enjoy before and after your service. You’ll be given a fluffy robe to change into (if you like, no pressure) offered a glass of champagne, a mimosa, spa water or coffee and given a quick tour of the changing room and relaxation room. You can relax on a chaise lounge next to the softly glowing fireplace, enjoy their steam room or warm up in the sauna. When it’s time for your service to begin, you will be escorted to a dimly lit and luxuriously appointed treatment room. No detail is spared from the décor to the quality of the linens on the massage tables. Getting back to my original suggestion, if you would like to give the gift of relaxation to someone special this holiday season, you’re going to want to mark your calendar for this Thursday, November 7^th between 4 and 7 pm, as its Muses annual Appreciation Day! On Appreciation Day, Muses offers special discounts on spa services, 20% off of retail products, and raffles with services offered at up to $1,000 in value. Everyone who stops by will be treated to appetizers and champagne – so stop by after work and score special pricing on a gift that’s definitely one that will be enjoyed.

Looking for a fun activity the whole family will enjoy? The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad is a historic railroad that offers train rides, an educational museum, and gold panning activities. Rather than reading or teaching your kids about Fresno’s history, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad allows families to experience history.

On the Logger Steam Train, passengers can ride in covered passenger cars with benches or open-air cars with seats carved out of logs, replicating the look of the log cars which once traveled these rails in the early 1900’s.

Once used by the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company, the locomotives operated to transport logs to a now-gone nearby mill. Lumber was then floated down to the central San Joaquin Valley via log flumes and offers a great glimpse into Fresno’s history. Locomotives returned to this Sierra Nevada wilderness in the late 1960s thanks to the Stauffer family, who immigrated from Switzerland and had the vision to revive the railroad for tourists.

The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad dates back to 1965 and has been family-run ever since. There are two trains, #10 and #15. The Shay #10 was built by Lima Locomotive Works of Lima OH. It holds 1,200 gallons of fuel, weighs 81 tons and is a 3-cylinder steam train. The Shay #15 was built by Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio in May of 1913 for the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Co. The #15 holds 900 gallons of fuel, weighs 59 tons and is a 3-cylinder steam train. Over the years, the steam train has drawn thousands of visitors to take the excursion through the Sierra National Forest. There are several one-hour and half-hour train rides offered daily in addition to the three-hour moonlight specials, which happen Wednesday and Saturday nights during the peak season. The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad’s moonlight rides include dinner and a stop in the forest where visitors disembark to hear live music around a campfire. The reviews on TripAdvisor are glowing, with attendees saying, “The train ride through the forest was really nice, especially on the open log car” and “its an opportunity to experience the sounds, sights, steam, smoke, and smells that are symbolic of times gone past that we missed.”
So gather your family and friends, and check out the historic steam train, running weekends through Thanksgiving