Woman donates blood twice a week to afford Disney World trips

One woman has found an unusual way to fund her Disney fix. Photo / Adrian Valverde, Unsplash

You may think you love Disney but your appreciation probably falls short when compared to Liz Gramlich.

The 28-year-old from Philadelphia loves Florida’s Walt Disney World so much, she found an unusual way to fund monthly visits, according to Fox News Digital.

After making a New Year’s resolution to visit the resort every month this year, she now donates plasma twice a week, every week, to fund the trips.

Her love began in 2020 after Covid-19 caused admissions to the kingdom to drop and it became feasible to visit often. Now, as the pandemic restrictions loosen and travel prices rise, Gramlich had to think of a way to fund her new passion and turned to plasma donation.

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Since it takes two hours to fly from Philadelphia to Orlando, Gramlich often goes to the theme park for a single day, saying it became "a little extra thing to bring some magic and fun to our lives with everything going on in the world right now".

For this reason, Gramlich decided to make the trip a priority, and go every month. However, these regular trips to Disney soon became a study in the rising cost of travel.

When she first began visiting Disney World in 2020 with her sister, round trip flights were US$25 (NZ$35).

"That was cheaper than gas for a round trip somewhere," Gramlich said.

Even when costs doubled, she added, it was still cheaper than an Uber or Lyft ride from the airport to the Disney World parks.

Now, however, flights are back up and cost US$150 (NZ$215) each.

“That’s shocking compared to what we’ve paid in the past,” Gramlich said, adding that she had to think of a new way to cover the costs.

By donating plasma up to twice a week, she can.

By donating plasma, one American woman can afford to go to Disney every month. Photo / 123rf

The unusual side hustle can make up to $1430 per month, depending on when she goes and the demand. The clinic doesn’t pay for plasma but instead her time, which is about 30 minutes, eight times a month, Gramlich said.

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Once, Gramlich made enough money to cover “the entire cost of being able to go to Disney World” with a single donation.

As flight costs rise, Gramlich said she can't entirely rely on plasma donation to cover the costs so she also uses her savings.

According to the Red Cross, plasma donations can be beneficial for people with various illnesses and medical emergencies.

Gramlich said it felt good to know her donations could be helpful to people who needed them.

"When it came down to it, I was like, 'Oh, I can help somebody by donating plasma instead of doing something else'."