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VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3
JUNE 2012
Patient Story:
“Receiving blood was something essential to saving my life.”
As a student at Smith College in Massachusetts, Anna Robinson was ready to start her life and become an
independent woman. In 2006, she was excited to finish her senior year of college. That summer while visiting her
family in Seattle, she noticed large bruises, felt fatigued, and became dizzy. She went to the doctor who
diagnosed her with leukemia after a blood test. She was 21 years old.
Anna was admitted to the hospital that same day and received red blood cell and
platelet transfusions. She shares, “My fatigue and dizziness were from a very low red
blood cell count and the bruising was from an extremely low platelet count.” After the
transfusions, she felt like her old self again but knew it would not last. The doctors said
that chemotherapy was not enough to fight the cancer. Anna needed a stem cell
transplant along with chemotherapy and radiation. She began her first week of
chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital.
“That was the hardest point in my treatment, dealing with the chemo’s effects on my
body,” expressed Anna. One of the side effects of her first chemotherapy treatment
Patient Story Continued on Page 2
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ELIGIBILITY
About 40 percent of the US
population are eligible to donate
blood, yet only 5 percent actually do!
Did you know that the FDA reviews
eligibility requirements regularly and
policies frequently change? Here are
some common misconceptions:
Iron Deficiency: Hemoglobin is an
iron-rich protein inside red blood cells.
Donors can be deferred because they
have a low hemoglobin count. This
does not necessarily mean the donor
is anemic - hemoglobin levels can
fluctuate over time. Women are more
susceptible to iron-deficiency than
men, especially during menstruation.
Increasing iron intake five to seven
days before planning to give blood
may help raise levels and prevent
deferral.
Tattoos: Due to FDA regulations,
donors were previously deferred for
one year after receiving a tattoo. The
FDA changed this rule in 2010, so
donors who receive tattoos at
licensed facilities in Washington,
Idaho, Oregon, and California can
now donate without a deferral period.
containing aspirin for 48 hours prior to
donating.
Carly Waterman, Blood Center
Specialist in Clinical Support, says
that the hottest question right now is,
“Can I donate if I got the Whooping
Cough vaccine?” The answer is yes,
you may donate and there is no
Medications & Vaccines: Many deferral period. There is, however, a
people wishing to donate think they one month deferral after the shingles
cannot because of medications they vaccine.
take. However, medications for
diabetes, blood pressure, depression, Malaria: Another misconception is
high cholesterol, and most other about travel to malaria-risk countries.
commonly prescribed drugs are If a donor travels to a malaria-risk
usually acceptable. Oral or injected area, he or she is deferred for one
antibiotics require a seven-day wait. year, regardless of whether or not the
Pain medications are generally fine donor took anti-malarial medications.
unless a donor is visiting one of our Additionally, even if a donor has
centers for a platelet donation. These
donors must avoid medications Common Misconceptions Continued on Page 2
Patient Story Continued from Page 1
was the development of numerous,
small bumps on her skin. She had a
biopsy on her forearm and the whole
area began to swell, so she had
surgery to clean the wound and relieve
the swelling.
Due to the chemotherapy, Anna found
herself with a large open wound and no
immune system to heal it. She received
granulocytes, a blood product, to help
her body heal the wound. Soon after,
Anna received a bone marrow
transplant from her sister, but then
relapsed eight months later. She
underwent more chemotherapy and a
second bone marrow transplant, this
time from a donor not related to her.
Blood components were essential to
Anna’s survival throughout her
treatment. In total, she received 32 red
blood cell units and 98 platelet units
during her year and a half course of
treatment.
“There are so many worries going
through cancer treatment. Taking the
correct medications on time, treatment
side effects, long-term effects of the
treatment, and, just, making it through.
Receiving blood was something
essential to saving my life, and
something that I was able to completely
rely on thanks to Puget Sound Blood
Center…For that, I am so grateful.”
Anna is now four years into remission
and looking forward to her future.
BLOOD DRIVE COORDINATOR TIPS:
Creative Ideas to Keep Donors Coming Back
For the past three summers, Lopez Island Creamery has donated their
delicious ice cream to the Lopez Island Blood Drive. During the blood drive,
Lopez Island Lions Club members are on hand to
serve donors with scoops of ice cream. The
Lions promote the availability of free ice cream on
their blood drive promotional materials and in their
press releases. Don Langrock, blood drive
coordinator for the Lions, shares, “Lopez Island
Creamery’s generous contribution is a tasty way to
help us reach our donor goals.”
Dave Hanley, coordinator for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints North Seattle Stake, has technology on his side. Before and after
Sunday worship services, Dave and his team use iPad tablets to schedule
donors for appointments. With the online appointment page already loaded
up in the tablets’ web browsers, his donor recruitment volunteers are able to
educate donors about the importance of giving blood and sign them up for a
donation time in one easy step. Want to try this for your drive? You can use
your own tablet, laptop, or smartphone to assist your donors in scheduling
appointments if your group uses our online system.
Have a tip you’d like to share with other blood drive coordinators?
Please send them our way: [email protected]
OTHER WAYS OF GIVING
If someone is not able give blood but still wants to support blood donation,
you can share other ways they can help our community. The following are
volunteer opportunities available at the Blood Center:
•
Set up and pick up signage
•
Clean or fix signage
•
Remind donors of their
appointment times for blood
donation at centers and on
mobiles
travelled through a malaria-risk area to
or from a non-malaria-risk area, they will
be deferred. An area currently
considered high-malaria risk may not
always be as the FDA frequently
updates the list of “at-risk” areas. Check
with Blood Center staff to find out for
sure if an area is currently considered
“malaria-risk”.
•
Talk about Puget Sound Blood
Center at health fairs
•
Help register donors at blood drives or donor centers
•
Serve cookies and juice and monitor donor safety at blood drives or
donor centers
•
Assist with clerical work in various Blood Center departments
You can find a comprehensive list of
eligibility requirements on our website at
www.psbc.org. For further information or
eligibility
questions,
please
call
1-800-DONATE-1, extension 2543 or
email [email protected].
•
Support the inventory by transporting blood and supplies between donor
centers and labs.
Common Misconceptions Continued from Page 1
If you know someone interested in volunteering, please contact your
Donor Representative or direct them to one of our Volunteer
Coordinators at www.psbc.org/volunteers/coordinators.htm.
ASK THE EXPERTS
Q: Why do you ask me to donate blood and then turn me away at the blood drive?
A: Yes, this does seem counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? The truth is there are times when this is actually necessary.
One example would be if we had a much higher than expected turnout of walk-in
donors and a majority of donors show up all at once. This can especially be
challenging on our busses, as space is limited, and may create longer waits. You
may find you are turned away when you haven’t made an appointment to
donate. Long waits can also occur if a donor has a reaction during or after giving
blood. Situations like this don’t happen often, but when they do one Blood Center
technician must give their undivided attention to that donor until they recover.
We understand that long waits can
be frustrating for everyone. While we
greatly appreciate donors showing up at our blood drives, donor safety is
our number one priority. Making an appointment to donate gives you
priority at registration and saves time. If your blood drive isn’t currently
using our appointment system and you would like to find out more,
please contact your donor representative for more information.
Ever wonder why certain things happen at your blood drive?
Send us your questions: [email protected]
KEEPING YOUR DRIVE AFLOAT
IN THE SUMMER
We know summer blood drives can sometimes be challenging with some
of your donors on vacation or unavailable, but as you know the need
never stops. Thank you for lending us a hand during this difficult time for
donor recruitment. Your summer blood drive helps us maintain a stable
blood supply during a time of great need. Below are some ideas that may
be helpful to recruit donors in the upcoming months and year round:
Remember to
Bring Your Picture I.D.!
In our continuous efforts to improve
our processes and ensure the safety
of our blood supply, we will soon
require that all donors present some
form of picture I.D. when registering
to donate blood. No date is set yet,
but we expect to implement this new
policy at some point this summer and
appreciate your help getting the word
out to our donors early.
Please help us by reminding your
donors to bring photo I.D. with them
now so they will already be in the
habit once we fully implement this
new policy. Thank you!
Partner: Invite surrounding businesses, neighboring places of worship, or nearby organizations to join your drive.
Form a committee: If you are coordinating a blood drive on your own, reach out for help and form a committee. This
means less work for you and more options to get the word out. Three people who recruit 10 donors each is much
easier to do than one person recruiting 30!
Direct ask: Face-to-face contact or phone calls are great ways to encourage people to commit to donating blood.
Your Puget Sound Blood Center representative can provide you with a phone list. People may walk past a poster, but
a donor will often say “yes” if someone directly asks them. Circulate your sign-up sheet or staff a sign-up table in a
high foot-traffic area. Ask your organization’s leader (President, Principal, Pastor etc.) to send a letter to all members
sharing the importance of blood donation and asking them to support the blood drive.
Make it personal: Ask someone who has received a transfusion to share how important blood donation is to their
life. Interview first-time and seasoned donors, and write an article about their experience and why they donate for
your bulletin or newsletter. Encourage your donors to buddy-up by asking a friend or colleague to join them in
donating.
Look for new promotion venues: If your company, place of worship, or organization has a website, add the blood
drive to it. Post your blood drive on a community blog or chamber of commerce website. Advertise your drive in the
community newspaper calendar. Use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word. Explore your options!