December 2011

Discovering Resources in the Community

By John Williams, Marketing Manager, Stanford Blood Center

Living in the Bay Area has many advantages, not least of which is the plethora of opportunities to spend leisure time. With so many competing activities available, it’s easy to miss some gems. For instance, the Palo Alto Adult School (PAAS), a provider of courses for both self-enrichment and job-training. Of course, Stanford Blood Center (SBC) is not a bad place to devote a little time either, especially if you’re interested in helping patients. But people need to know about these organizations in order to take advantage of them.

So SBC and PAAS have partnered to help get the word out about their respective services. The advantage of partnerships between non-profit organizations is their shared communication to their constituencies. In this case, we can say that both entities serve the local community. PAAS through high quality of instruction at a reasonable price, and SBC by providing blood products to local hospitals. Even though PAAS is celebrating ninety years in the community and SBC was established in 1978, many people are not aware of them.

If you want to help save lives and maybe improve your own, look no further. Donate blood, learn Spanish, learn to cook, it’s all at your fingertips.

Blood Drive Birthday Bash

By Julie Ruel, Social Media Manager, Stanford Blood Center

At a blood donor recognition event last year, Janet Silberman, a 150-time donor, sat in the audience and listened to Larry Frederick, a retired police officer, thank each and every individual in the room for saving his life. Many years earlier, he experienced a life-threatening event that required immediate blood transfusions. His story could have been terribly tragic. But instead, the blood was available and it saved his life. He now rides his bicycle across the country setting up blood drives and personally thanking the donors.

His inspiration and positivity sparked an idea for Janet. She would be celebrating her 60th birthday the following year – why not set up a blood drive of her own and invite her family and friends to celebrate by giving the gift of life? Besides, they vacationed in Europe the year prior for her husband’s 60th. And does anybody really need two back-to-back vacations?

Planning this blood drive/birthday party served an additional purpose for Janet as well. Since her kids are now grown, she has spare time to devote to volunteer work, something she learned the importance of through her parents. So for 10+ years, her platelet donations were not just a part of her routine, they had become an important part of her life. But because of new regulations, she is now ineligible to continue donating platelets. Instead of letting the sun set on her days with Stanford Blood Center, she has remained involved by switching to whole blood donations and taking on the role of blood donation advocate and promoter. “This blood drive was a way to get people donating platelets in my place and I can still feel like I’m giving back.” Indeed! Folks flooded our Hillview Center that day and her drive brought in over 40 units of blood.

Her efforts haven’t stopped at those 40 units, though. The invitation to her birthday celebration was shared with those near and far. Friends and relatives from Los Angeles to Israel were inspired to visit their local blood centers in support of the birthday girl’s wish. And many of these new blood donors have scheduled repeat visits, pledging to continue giving.

We’re grateful for Janet and those alike who not only make space in their schedule to give blood but space in their hearts to understand the importance. In her words, “I’m 60 years young and love life. I want to give back so others can have a longer, better life.”

The Safe Blood Africa Project: The Trip

By Amanda Baker, Communications Intern, Stanford Blood Center

This is part 2 of 3 in our series on the Safe Blood Africa Project.
Click here to read Article 1: The Safe Blood Africa Project: Background

This summer, BloodSource staff and representatives from the Carmel Valley Rotary Club traveled to Nigeria to continue working on the Safe Blood Africa Project. Led by Dr. Chris Gresens of BloodSource, the team also included Northern California Community Blood Bank CEO Tom Schallert and BloodSource’s Dr. John Watson-Williams, as well as project founder and Rotarian Warren Kaufman. Their destination was Uyo University Teaching Hospital in the state of Akwa Ibom, a region of about four million people in the southern part of the country.

The Safe Blood Africa Project seeks to save lives in Africa by improving the blood banking system with an approach that encompasses bolstering local blood facilities and training local staff. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 10-50 donations per year per 1000 population, which is quite a task for Nigeria as the most populous African country. Currently, around 250,000 Nigerians die every year from a lack of adequate blood products, and blood banks are able to supply only 2% of the population’s needs. The majority of patients needing blood are children with severe anemia and mothers with pregnancy-related blood loss.

On their previous assessment trip in 2010, affiliates of the Safe Blood Africa project delivered blood bank refrigerators and generators to provide a safe storage system for collected blood. While such equipment is essential for a successful blood banking industry, it is not sufficient to provide a safe blood supply. Equally crucial components are a steady supply of healthy, eligible donors to provide blood for transfusions and well-trained, knowledgeable staff.

Thus this trip’s expanded objectives were, firstly, to provide substantial education and equipment to bring blood transfusions up to a higher standard in the short-term, and secondly to allow a road map to be developed to improve transfusion medicine in general over a long-term period. Training is to continue in areas of donor recruitment, laboratory work, and medical administration. Donor recruitment is of particular importance, as unsuitable donors can pass along blood-borne diseases such as malaria, hepatitis, and HIV (AIDS) to blood recipients. The current status quo in Nigeria involves recruiting family members and paid donors, but it is crucial to recruit volunteer non-remunerated donors, that is, people willing to donate on their own accord without monetary incentives. Such donors are more likely to be honest in revealing their status as at-risk for blood-borne diseases.

The BloodSource and Carmel Valley Rotary team hopes to return twice a year for five more years. There are many barriers to be overcome – challenging transportation infrastructure, existing local bureaucracy, long-lasting power outages, and insufficient air conditioning, just to name a few, but all members are committed to the cause and dedicated to seeing it succeed. The ultimate goal is to help hospitals and blood centers become sustainable and self-sufficient facilities, and to spread a successful model to other medical facilities.

After the start of the year, we will be introducing a new option in our online store, allowing Stanford Blood Center donors to be able to contribute to the Safe Blood Africa Project. Using points earned through each donation, donors will be able to help purchase equipment for blood centers in Nigeria. Click here for more details.

5 Ways to Stay Healthy Through the Holiday Season

By Melissa Ramos, volunteer guest-blogger for Stanford Blood Center

Staying healthy through this season can be especially challenging. It seems that all around you, people have the sniffles or a cough. Taking good care of yourself is key to preventing the flu. Here are a few tips to help keep yourself strong and healthy this year.

Wash your hands
We wash our hands before we eat, but it is important to wash your hands throughout the day. Germs travel easily when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth after coming into contact. Wash your hands often or carry hand sanitizer with you.

Get Sleep
Most people need 6-8 hours of sleep. If you’re not getting adequate sleep on a regular basis, your body will be vulnerable to getting sick. Help yourself stay healthy by getting enough sleep.

Eat a rainbow
Did you know the more colorful your meal is, the more likely it is to be healthy? Add colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet everyday for a boost in vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Vitamins
Taking a once-daily multi-vitamin will help you get the vitamins you might not get through diet alone.

Flu Shots
Flu shots are available at most pharmacies. According to the CDC, you should get vaccinated if you are living with, or care for, the following: pregnant women, children younger than five, people over 50, anyone with chronic medical conditions, people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu. Please note: flu shots have no effect on your eligibility to give blood.

And since you’ll be well through fall and winter, you’ll be ready and able to keep up your regular blood donation schedule!

Living with Type 1 Diabetes

By Marina Basina, M.D., a diabetes expert and Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Endocrinology, Gerontology, Metabolism at Stanford University. Dr. Basina spoke on this topic at a recent Cafe Scientifique at Stanford Blood Center.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system inappropriately destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Insulin is a key hormone which moves glucose into the cells and allows it to be utilized for energy and growth. Without insulin, glucose rises in the bloodstream, causing an abnormally high level of sugar in the blood.

Individuals with type 1 diabetes are faced daily with the challenge of self-managing this demanding disease while simultaneously facing the challenges of daily life that everyone with or without diabetes shares. Diabetes self-management includes a variety of activities: multiple self-injections, checking blood sugar levels, eating carefully, considering food choices, adjusting insulin doses to cover carbohydrates, watching for the symptoms that may indicate hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, taking action if necessary to correct blood glucose fluctuations. Diabetes is a 24-hour/day, 7-day/week, 365-day/year condition. There are no days off with type 1 diabetes. Anyone who has type 1 diabetes will likely tell you that it is a difficult, demanding and challenging condition, requiring daily attention, it is upsetting, and it never goes away.

Diabetes care is rightfully considered one of the most psychologically and behaviorally demanding of the chronic medical conditions. Therefore, it is common to have feelings of anger and frustration in relationship to the diagnosis of diabetes. And it is normal to have strong emotions but, at the same time, it is very important to understand diabetes and to be able to adjust to daily challenges, and to manage it effectively.

A person’s emotional needs are an important component of overall health and an integral component of diabetes management. Stress levels can be compounded day after day just by living with diabetes. It is undoubtedly more difficult to adhere to the treatment plan when you feel physically and emotionally distressed.

The following factors have been found to make it hard to adhere and maintain daily blood sugar control:

- The regimen is demanding
- The regimen is unpleasant
- Improved control may result in more frequent hypoglycemic episodes
- “Going by the book” does not guarantee the results
- Feeling different and isolated as a person with diabetes may deplete motivation
- No direct positive rewards, but rather longer term benefits (preventing complications) makes it difficult to stay on track
- Demands of self-management frequently cause psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression.
- Diabetes “burnout” – psychological condition characterized by chronic frustration and feelings of failure, which may negatively affect glycemic control via the effects of distress on self-care behaviors.

The ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus stated, “People are not disturbed by the things that happen to them, but the views they take of them”.

The good news is that everyone can learn to manage diabetes, reduce the risk of long-term health complications, and live well with diabetes. As one individual with diabetes said, “So it is a pain! Diabetes is not easy, but when you make diabetes management a part of your daily rituals, over time the tasks become a part of your routine”.

A note to those living with type 1 diabetes

It is important to remember that perfection is not the goal. No person with type 1 diabetes can keep their blood sugars in the normal range all the time. When you have a bad day, blame the diabetes but try to understand what went wrong, give yourself some slack and make an attempt to improve the next day. An example of a good attitude is, “Good that I checked my blood sugar, because I was not aware that I was running high. I can now take action”. One psychologist said that he encourages his patients to use humor to handle the diagnosis as well as deal with tension of everyday life with diabetes – the personal and relationship challenges. Management of type 1 diabetes requires the person to view himself as a member of a healthcare team, as the most important person on that team because the individual with diabetes will be doing most of the work with the help and guidance of others, such as healthcare professionals. It is extremely useful to participate in support groups and exchange the experiences with others.

Living a life with diabetes is challenging, but you are not alone. There are approximately 285 million people worldwide who like you, live with diabetes and face similar challenges. There are many therapies that make it possible to manage diabetes effectively, but how you feel about diabetes is an important component, and we hope you, like others, will be able to say, “I have come to accept that it is a part of me, rather than a series of blood sugar numbers and lab results. I know that I am not alone, and I can think about diabetes in a more healthy and effective way”.

Tiny Phlebotomists

By Billie Rubin, Hemoglobin’s Catabolic Cousin, reporting from the labs of Stanford Blood Center

Historically, certain species of leeches have been used in medicine for blood-letting. These tiny phlebotomists were used in areas that were “too sensitive or confined for the lancet or other blood-letting instruments" like the gums, lips, fingers, and nose.

Leeches are sometimes in use even in modern medicine to ease venous congestion and prevent local coagulation in surgeries such as the reattachment of a finger or reconstructive surgery after cancer. According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the leech “known as Hirudo medicinalis, the medicinal leech, is used most often after trauma, such as the loss of a finger or limb. Reattaching a digit and reconnecting its blood vessels is painstaking work that is often carried out under the microscope”. The leech has an anti-coagulant and anesthetic compounds in it’s saliva.

Leeches became popular in the 19th century to the point that they actually became endangered in Europe.

Incidentally, do you know how leeches got their name? According to medical secrets straight out of 1634, medieval doctors used to call themselves leeches. And it wasn't for their fees. The word "leech" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "loece" which means "to heal". Interestingly, these creatures got their name from the doctors, rather the other way around.