Kelvin Yu — His Second Life
Kelvin Yu thought it was just an ordinary day. He went to his job as a Project Manager at Kaiser Engineers, left his office, and set out for a lunchtime walk around Lake Merritt. He had no idea that within...
Categories for Patient Stories
Heart to Heart – From Heart Transplant To Living Life With Purpose
The adventure began soon after their meeting. Carmela and Eric Gries met in 1984 while attending college. Not long after they met and became a couple, they decided to take a year off from school to drive across the country...
Magdalena’s Story—Coming Full Circle
Magdalena Cabrera knows what it’s like to be on both sides of the equation. She began donating blood with Stanford Blood Center in 1980. She did so knowing the importance of donating blood products when suddenly the tables turned in...
Austin, Brave and Strong
As girls growing up in Menlo Park, Betsy McBride and her sister used to accompany their father when he donated blood at Stanford Blood Center (SBC). Betsy took the habit to heart, continuing to donate for SBC when she could....
Young Heart Beats The Odds—Galen Dahl’s Story
Galen “G” Dahl, 13, is much like any other 7th grader. He loves skiing, math, jumping on his trampoline, video games and his dog, Flash. He is a self-confessed Harry Potter fanatic who enjoys hanging out with his buddies. One...
Young Love Prevails
By Kristin Stankus, digital community and social media specialist Kendralyn and Cole Morley knew from an early age that they wanted to spend their lives together. Now, 24 years old, Kendralyn and Cole have been friends...
A Bone Marrow Transplant and a New Lease on Life
In 2013, Michael, a recent high school graduate, was excited to start the next chapter in his life. He had applied to a trade school and looked forward to pursuing a career in welding when he came down with what...
Never Give Up Without a Fight
Susan attended this year’s Bone Marrow Transplant Reunion where she approached Stanford Blood Center’s information table and asked if she could share her story of survival with blood donors through SBC’s patient stories program. Susan’s story is one of incredible...
Placenta Accreta: A Life-Threatening Attachment
There have been many great advances in medicine over the last few decades. Patients can take comfort in the fact that doctors have more information available to them now than ever before, resulting in an improved quality of patient care....
Call Her a Thriver, Not a Survivor
Jen Julian, 57, might be the most active person you will ever meet. She golfs, skis, bikes, boats, scuba dives and regularly makes good use of her newly granted pilot’s license. She is without a doubt the epitome of what...