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A Brief History of Blood Transfusion Through The Years

By Kristin Stankus Posted 03.10.2016

By Kristin Stankus, digital community and social media specialist

As early as the 17^th century, blood has been used as a therapy for a variety of ailments. Over the years, there have been many great advances and it is no wonder this precious resource is so valuable. Here is a look at some of the bigger milestones related to blood transfusion over the years.

1628 English physician William Harvey discovers the circulation of blood. Shortly afterward, the earliest known blood transfusion is attempted.

1665 The first recorded successful blood transfusion occurs in England: Physician Richard Lower keeps dogs alive by transfusion of blood from other dogs.

1818 James Blundell performs the first successful blood transfusion of human blood to treat postpartum hemorrhage.

1840 The first whole blood transfusion to treat hemophilia is successfully completed.

1900 Karl Landsteiner discovers the first three human blood groups, A, B and O.

1902 Landsteiner’s colleagues, Alfred Decastello and Adriano Sturli, add a fourth blood type, AB.

1907 Blood typing and cross matching between donors and patients is attempted to improve the safety of transfusions. The universality of the O blood group is identified.

1914 Adolf Hustin discovers that sodium citrate can anticoagulate blood for transfusion, allowing it to be stored and later transfused safely to patients on the battlefield.

1932 The first blood bank is established at Leningrad hospital.

Building Community Together: Give Good 2015 Campaign Results

By Kristin Stankus Posted 03.02.2016

By Kristin Stankus, digital community and social media specialist

This winter, Stanford Blood Center (SBC) partnered with Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley (Habitat) for our third annual Give Good Campaign to help blood donations go further during the critical winter months.

If you were one of the 2,048 donors who rolled up your sleeve during the three-week campaign, not only did you contribute blood products to local patients, but you also helped build a new home for a deserving San Jose family. You may have noticed some construction boards for you to sign in the centers, which will actually be built into the home! Construction should begin within the next few months and the family is expected to move in by the holidays.

Benevolence Without Borders

By sbcadmin Posted 02.29.2016

By Dayna Kerecman Myers

Every day, people living in some of the world’s poorest countries die because of a shortage of safe blood.

In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the vast majority of countries collected less than half of the blood their populations needed. And, in 39 low-income countries, blood donations are still not routinely tested for infections including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis (according to the World Health Organization’s Global Database on Blood Safety).

Now, thanks to the Global Blood Fund (GBF), which helps blood collection agencies in low-income countries, there’s a tangible way for people in countries like the United States to contribute. Specifically, there’s an easy way for SBC donors—who, we think must be among the most altruistic, benevolent people on the planet—to give locally and globally at the same time.

If you’ve donated blood with SBC before, you’re probably familiar with our online store for donors—and the option of donating the points you receive for donating blood towards charities including the UK-based GBF. The online store model works well in the US, where blood centers, instead of spending a few dollars on thank you gifts for donors, can pass a small sum on to blood centers overseas. It’s an ultimate win-win solution, where winning can mean lives saved.

A Bone Marrow Transplant and a New Lease on Life

By sbcadmin Posted 02.14.2016

By Kristin Stankus, digital community and social media specialist

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 he thought was a bad cold.

After weeks of feeling ill, he finally went to the emergency room — but they just sent him home with no resolution. Two more visits to the emergency room led to the same diagnosis — a bad cold — and advice to go home and rest. But Michael knew something more serious was wrong. He insisted upon a series of blood tests to get to the root of the problem. What happened next turned out to be a devastating and unexpected blow for Michael and his family.

The tests pointed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare type of cancer that develops rapidly and can be fatal within a few months if not treated quickly. AML starts in the bone marrow but can quickly spread into the blood and can affect other parts of the body, like the spleen and lymph nodes.

At just 20 years, and a healthy young man up until that point, Michael had trouble absorbing the news. “I was really upset. I kept asking ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I gave up on faith,” Michael said. His mom, Glafira, remembers her state of disbelief upon receiving the diagnosis. “We went to see an oncologist at Stanford and I remember hoping he would tell me Michael had been misdiagnosed,” Glafira said.

What Super Bowl Mania in the Bay Area Means for Our Community

By sbcadmin Posted 02.01.2016

By Kristin Stankus, digital community and social media specialist

Super Bowl 50 will be played in Santa Clara on February 7, 2016. Upwards of two to three million visitors are expected to participate in a series of Super Bowl events throughout the Bay Area.

In addition to the NFL Championship game that will take place at Levi’s Stadium, events such as Super Bowl City along San Francisco’s waterfront and the NFL Experience theme park are expected to draw large crowds.

A Brief History of Blood Transfusion Through The Years

Building Community Together: Give Good 2015 Campaign Results

Benevolence Without Borders

A Bone Marrow Transplant and a New Lease on Life

What Super Bowl Mania in the Bay Area Means for Our Community

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