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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!