February 2011
A Perfect Match
By Julie Ruel, Social Media Manager, Stanford Blood Center
Over the past five years, I’ve come to appreciate this time of year. Yes, wintertime at the office is very exciting around here! It’s the time of year when a committee of us Stanford Blood Center folks pair up with the Sharks Foundation to fasten our seat belts and prepare for the excitement that is… THE SHARKS BLOOD DRIVE!
Reality of what’s to come sets in when we open up the appointment slots and I watch the numbers go from zero to 60, or 400 rather, faster than a Zamboni ride around the rink. No doubt the power play of all blood drives for us, the several hundred loyal fans and eager blood donors bring in enough blood at the drive to serve over 900 local patients!
It was a natural fit when we began a partnership with the Sharks Foundation in 2007; we both share a mission of serving our community. Understanding the importance of the Sharks players as role models, the Foundation is specifically dedicated to enhancing the lives of youth, viewing them as the “key to the long-term well-being of our community”.
One young Sharks fanatic in particular has attended the last three Sharks blood drives, cheering us on from the sideline. Unable to give blood himself, Brian Sams, is nevertheless a valuable asset to our organization. “I want to put a face on blood donation so donors can see a real life survivor... so they can see what it takes to keep a kid alive. I’m here to advocate for blood donation and ensure that they’ll come back for future donations.” He was just six months old when doctors discovered he suffered from an immune deficiency, resulting in 13 years of IVIG therapy to strengthen his immune system. I was blown away to find out while speaking with Brian, now 22, what those 13 years entailed. Once every three weeks, he received one to two vials of treatment. But it took 200 donors to make up one vial. Imagine that. If I’m doing my math right, 66,300 donors were involved in keeping Brian alive during the course of his treatment. Wow. But week after week, it was always there for him. And being that he stayed at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, it all came from our very own local supporters.
Below, proud supporter, Brian hangs out with his sister, Sammi (left) and girlfriend, Christina, while they donate.
Working with the Foundation over the years has proven to be a perfect match for us – a win-win situation at it’s finest. Speaking of perfect matches, the Sharks have won the last four games played on the day of the blood drive. So let’s add four more “wins” in there!
Inspiration
We had the pleasure of working with the friendly folks at Micro-Documentaries on some short videos featuring a few very special blood recipients. Below is a piece written by Noah Stout from Micro-Docs about his experiences in filming the Stanford Blood Center Series.
One function of Micro-Documentaries is to depict stories that will move others to action. Perhaps the most touching productions I have worked on were those for the Stanford Blood Center. These were stories about peoples’ lives being saved from blood and bone marrow donations. I give credit to everyone who selflessly donates blood, and has allowed one of these stories to move them to a blood center to save a life. What I want to talk about in this piece of writing, however, is a different sort of inspiration I experienced when digesting these stories.
My laptop dictionary’s first definition of the word inspiration is “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something.” The word can also mean “the inhalation of air;” so in a way, it also means to live, or to keep on living. The connection between these two meanings is direct and significant to me. The spokespeople of the Stanford Blood Center micro-documentaries have suffered some of the hardest things in life, almost losing their battle against death; but to this day they are still breathing oxygen, and their donated blood has helped carry it throughout their bodies. The most significant thing to me about the actual stories is how each of them has helped show me how to live life.
A mother named Karen narrated the story of her baby Quinn’s fight for life. As she stood there crying, she was able to explain what blood donations had done to keep her family whole. As she cried, Quinn crawled around on 3 limbs as happy as any baby I’ve seen. The loss of his leg has not slowed him down, and in fact his experience has inspired his older sister (who is a young child herself) to want to become a doctor when she grows up.
When I got home from Brennah’s shoot I said to my roommates, “I just met the coolest 12 year old girl I have ever met in my life.” I meant it. I could not believe the maturity with which she conducted herself. She wanted to share her story and she was not afraid to tell it in front of a camera. As a cinematographer and interviewer, I know that 12-year-old girls are often the most difficult interviews; they have become aware of their own image and this often leads to self-consciousness and shyness. But Brennah’s awareness of herself was one of presence and collectedness. At one point she said to me “I want to try that again, that one seemed too forced. I want it to feel natural.” I have a hypothesis that near death experiences cause people to drop all of their fears and shyness, and Brennah is one of my big supporting cases. My guess is that though Brennah is a very special girl, it is her experiences that have helped shape her into the coolest 12-year-old girl I have met.
Michael was a newlywed who got cancer and needed a bone marrow transplant. He told me that, “at literally the 11th hour” they found a match for him from China that saved his life. The bone marrow now lives in him, producing blood. With a chuckle he told me that not only does he take on any food allergies from his donor, but now his blood tests read that he is female. After his near death experience, he quit his higher paying career with computers and decided to focus on his passion, bicycles. He bikes every day, sells bikes at Sports Basement, and has about a dozen bikes in his garage!
With all of these cases, you can see that the narrators in these videos have had their lives put into perspective. They have decided to truly enjoy every breath they have on this earth, and they have chosen to open their hearts by courageously sharing their stories with the rest of us. These people were put on a fast track to growth and maturity, and have learned how to value their time and do what they love. As an artist and a filmmaker, I will take this inspiration to heart, as I continue to do what I love.
Click here to be taken to the original post.
The videos can be found here:
Quinn Bossow
Brennah Payne
Mike Wu
The Real Winners
By Julie Ruel, Social Media Manager, Stanford Blood Center
Arriving to work on a typical day, I boot up my iMac, check my Google Reader and see something about Apple passing Microsoft as the most valuable tech company. Then I turn to Facebook for friend news and Twitter to see what’s happening. I imagine my routine isn’t all that different from most others’. But what is unique is getting to see many of these companies compete in a very different way.
In 2010, we introduced the Donor Cup; a friendly blood drive competition among some of the tech companies responsible for the very technology I rely upon throughout my day. Inspired by the World Cup soccer games, companies were invited to participate by scheduling at least four blood drives, one per quarter, during the year. Under the rules of play, they were ranked on their performance in a variety of categories, including percent of employee participation, percent of new donors, and highest total units collected.
We’ll be announcing the top overall winning company at an upcoming awards ceremony. We’ll also have the opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of the individual blood drive coordinators at these companies, many of whom go above and beyond their regular job duties to facilitate blood drive hosting.
In addition to taking part in the Donor Cup, three of our participants recently made an important announcement. Apple, eBay, and HP, part of a Corporate Partners Program, will be contributing $150 million toward the development of the New Stanford Hospital. Also involved in the Program are leading tech companies Intel, Intuit, and Oracle, all of which hold regular blood drives with us throughout the year. The three Donor Cup participants collectively brought in over 800 units of blood, many of which are shipped to the Hospital that will one day be the “global model for patient-centered, technologically advanced health care”.
But let’s not forget who the real winners are. Thousands of local patients have been given a second chance at life because of the important efforts of these organizations.
Valentine's Day Haikus
By Donors & Friends of SBC
We asked for your best Valentine's Day haikus...
And that we received!
What a great compilation.
Blood donors are sweet :-)
Thankfully, your submissions are much better than that! Here they are, in no particular order:
The love you offer
It’s what’s inside
The wrapping, precious
Karen Kneedler
I have enough blood
To give a pint tomorrow.
And in 8 weeks too.
Life giving logic:
You can’t get blood from a stone.
So get it from me.
I’m the type for you,
As in type O positive.
Happy Valentine’s.
Mark Papamarcos
DRBC me...
Double the amount of good.
Where is my cookie?
Thomas Bramwell
New life blooms in spring
Lines form at the blood mobile
Great expectations
Autumn of one’s years
Does not discourage donors
Old blood gives new life
Love is in the air
Strong hearts pump with great passion
The new blood that flows
Two hearts beat strongly
One alive with a new gift
The other new joy
Cathy Lego
My blood: life and gift
For myself and those in need
Still hate the needle
Susan Weedon
Pregnancy was fun
But childbirth was near-fatal
Thanks for all the blood
Lauren Larsen
Blood is life
Just as the human
To the child
Green fields
Blue sky evening
Red brings warmth
Wondering
Does today matter
Without you
Jeff Owen
My heart would have stopped
and my final breath of air
saved by a small drop
It is in your blood
to donate blood to the loss
gift of second chance
It is Christmas eve
and do not know what to give
but my wife needs blood
Leonard Siew
Each beat of my heart
circulates life-giving blood
to someone in need.
By donating blood,
I share my health with others
and celebrate life.
Old ABC machines
kept you from scratching your nose.
One-arm machines rock!
Donate blood and get
apples, coffee, and cookies.
Blue platelet special!
When I give platelets,
all of the blood center staff
are gentle and kind.
Lia Adams
What is mine is not
It is for any who need
To recycle life
Steve Honey
Open loving heart
Abundance, bliss, light and calm
Enjoy and relish
Dance Fairy
It is a tiny pipe,
out of my veins.
Our hearts are talking.
I love you!
Reza Satrap
Blood flows inside me
A simple gift I can give
Renew life, give hope
Oh what a notion
An hour spent in a chair
Will save others’ lives
What if it were me
Laying, trying to survive
I’d wish for your help
Just one needle prick
Then snickerdoodles galore
Saving lives is fun!
Everyone can be
A hero to a stranger
Give at SBC
Beylah Redke
We watch you suffer
Pain cannot really be shared
They tell me this helps
Why should I bother?
Not kith, not kin, just strangers.
Love can be quiet.
each time they wound me
Yet still I keep coming back
And I leave content
Anonymous
Happy is the man
Who donates with his partner
Two can save many
Patients need our blood.
We donate blood together.
We all live long lives.
Blood means life
Life means more to me
Thanks to you
Gift of blood
We donate today
Gift of life
We met and knew it then dear
Donating blood was part of our lives
Thanks for a wonderful life.
You and I both know
Platelet donors are special
Now I feel special
Scary to give blood?
Phlebotomists are awesome!
I’ll donate again.
Platelets are needed
Special donors needed too
Paul, you are special
I watch you squeeze your left hand.
Pumping blood to save a precious life
Will your left hand wear my ring?
Squeezing your left hand
Pumping to save precious lives.
New ring for left hand?
I watch you donate blood
You save many lives today
My heart swells with pride
When donating blood
Think of those you help today
Come again next month
Kathy Miller
Sometimes feared and shunned
Ignored until it’s needed
The ultimate gift
Days are crowded, full
Work and friends and errands call
One hour saves one life
A heart filled with love
Touches many hopeless lives
Share your blood today
Red gifts from the heart
What better Valentine than
A pint of yourself?
Sheila Scobba Banning
Ah, precious platelet
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Pass my love along!
Meant for each other
Earnest marrow testing, and
Now... phenotype match!
Golden donor smile
My living blood relatives?
I must have hundreds!
My pampered arm veins
Vera’s doing the needles
Phlebotomy snob.
Eight weeks, nine seconds
Passed since my last donation
...who could be calling?
Stay well hydrated
Leave pet mosquito in cage
Nix Guam safari
All of those movies
That I never would have seen
But for platelet days
Got my routine down.
The donation’s not over
‘Till I taste the POG
Long term awareness
‘Golden Donor’ means you know
Much more is needed!
Duff Howell
From your veins come forth
donations vital to all.
Your kindness saves lives.
It's never too late
to change someone's life for good.
Give a valentine.
Natalie Romano
A huge thank-you to all the authors for submitting your poems.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Really Big Hearts
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin’s Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
When your heart is all aflutter, who do you resemble most? Romeo & Juliet? Lady Chatterley? Anais Nin and half of Paris? Or possibly a hummingbird if you are really feeling verklempt.
While our heart rate may go up to slightly more than 100 beats per minute when in the presence of our beloved, a hummingbird's resting heart rate is 615 beats per minute! Their athletic fluttering uses up quite a bit of energy and they need the extra oxygen that their big hearts pump out. Their hearts are about 2.5% of their body weight, whereas ours is just 0.45%. They have the really big hearts of the world with some major blood circulation going on. Imagine blood collection from them... they would need a very, very small needle (butterfly needle, perhaps?) and taking their pulse would be a marathon!
Happy (early) Valentine’s Day ☺
It’s My Birthday – So What Can I Give You?
By Scarlett O'Negative
Do you know that inside the human body 2.4 million red blood cells are born each second? Since red cells, like me, are recycled by white blood cells and only live for about six months, birthdays are kind of important to me. It got me thinking about the fragility of life. What if, instead of or in addition to receiving a present, everyone on their birthday gave a gift to someone else? Wouldn’t that give a whole new meaning to this annual event and make the world a better place?
Your birthday is the time of the year when you reflect on what’s going on in your life. Sure, it’s also about receiving presents, going out to dinner, or taking the day off. But consider how good it will feel to think about others and use this special milestone as a day of giving?
When someone asks you what you did on your birthday, wouldn’t it be great to tell them something like you had Thai food, got a pair of concert tickets from your friend, and gave blood to save a life? I think you could have serious bragging rights.
Stepping Up to the Plate(let)
When long-time apheresis donor Dawn Chuck was unable to continue giving platelets, she made it a personal goal to recruit as many platelet donors as it would take to make up for losing her... and then some! Dawn (above, second from left) also belongs to family of three generations of blood donors, featured in this video. Thanks, Dawn, for being our guest author this week.
After becoming involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program many years ago, I decided it was time to start donating blood.
After my first donation, I found out I was eligible to donate platelets (in order to donate platelets, one has to be medically eligible and also have a little more time for the procedure) and that this blood component is critical to cancer and bone marrow transplant patients. I was a regular platelet donor, coming in every two weeks, for many years. This past year my body decided it didn't want to let go of my platelets, so I transitioned back to donating whole blood and do so every eight weeks.
Since I can no longer provide platelets, I decided I would try to recruit as many people as I could to replace myself. I've recruited about seven people so far. In addition, being an avid bicyclist, I recently coordinated a blood drive, "Bikers Out for Blood", that targeted the cycling community. The drive proved to be successful as we had 104 donors come through the door for that day!
We all just take for granted that if we or a loved one ever need blood due to illness, accident, etc., that it will always be there. That isn't the case. Blood isn't just sitting in the fridge forever. It has a shelf life and needs to be replenished constantly. The main purpose of my blood drive was to get people to donate either as first-timers or repeat donors and to learn more about how to become a platelet donor. And, on top of that, I'd like platelet and whole blood donors to become "regulars"--not just once every now and again. Giving blood is necessary and is a very rewarding way to give back to the community! PLEASE GIVE AND GIVE OFTEN!
Click here to make an appointment.
Why Am I This Type?
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin’s Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
This is one of several questions that we’re often asked by community members. Our ABO (blood type) identity, whether we're O, A, B, or AB, is inherited from our parents. The ABO genes we inherit produce the antigens (chemical structures like proteins, carbohydrates or glycolipids) that are attached to the surface of red cells. Other things in nature also have these A & B antigens (bacteria and pollen, for example).
After birth, when our bodies are exposed to a foreign antigen (one you did not inherit), our immune system makes antibodies against it. If you are type A, then B is foreign to you and you make anti-B. If you are type O, then both A & B are foreign to you and you make anti-A and anti-B. These antibodies float around in the plasma portion of the blood. Both the ABO antigens on the red blood cells and the anti-A and/or anti-B in your plasma, determine your ABO Identity. Being Rh + or - is inherited separately from our ABO genes and it's a little different. Read more about that here.
Groundhog Sees Shadow of His A & B Antibodies
By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin’s Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center
What does that mean?? Is there a blizzard coming? Cyclone? Mongoose? Groundhogs don't even see very well so who knows why we rely on them to tell us about when Spring is coming. Best to look for when inexpensive daffodils show up at Trader Joe's, or when your allergies start up again. Then you know pollen is in the air, and with pollen comes an increase in your anti-A and anti-B titers. Wonder why? It's because our red blood cells (RBCs) are not the only things sporting A & B-like antigens on their surfaces. Other environmental antigens, similar enough to those little sugary ends of our RBCs, can show up in bacteria, pollen, and viruses and stimulate an immune response in us (plus other allergens). The groundhog knows the power of his antibodies and comes out every February 2nd to check them out to make sure not many foreign antigens get past his immune system this Spring.
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