The donation of blood is an anonymous gift of life and seldom are donors and recipients brought together. So when 18-year-old cancer survivor Hannah Miller recently met and thanked 13 of the more than 140 donors who helped save her life, it was a rare – and emotional – event.

Hannah was a 13-year-old athlete and winner of a gold medal for weight lifting at the Junior Olympics when she was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma in August 2004. She completed 10 rigorous rounds of chemotherapy only to find out the following year that the cancer had returned. After many life-threatening infections, spinal taps and surgeries, she underwent a successful stem cell transplant in November 2005. Throughout her treatment, Hannah received nearly 200 units of platelets and red blood cells from more than 140 donors in the Kansas City area.“Hannah’s Heroes” donated their life-saving blood selflessly and anonymously, never dreaming of the role they would play in a stranger’s recovery. In celebration of National Blood Donor month, the Community Blood Center invited these generous donors to gather January 7 to meet the grateful recipient of their gift – now a college freshman at Baker University who is on the road to recovery because of them   . . . read more of Hannah's story

Not long after Cameron and Ericka Perkins welcomed their daughter Mikaylain to the world, she developed jaundice and other perplexing physical problems and no one could figure out why. It wasn’t until Mikayla was 13 months old –and after many consultations with doctors, tests and sleepless nights – that she was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease. “The diagnosis was a surprise. We knew nothing about Sickle Cell Disease.Since then, it has been nothing but a continuing lesson,” Ericka said. Marrica and LaSalle Prewitt have been on a similar journey with their son Marcel. Because his symptoms initially were misdiagnosed, they did not find out until he was 6 that he, too, suffered from the debilitating chronic disease.    “We did not know anything about the disease. But we quickly got educated about the risks and complications,” LaSalle said . . . read more of the story

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Community Blood Center is always working hard to improve and enhance your donor experience. In the past six months CBC has created partnerships with the following businesses which directly benefit our donors. We hope you will support these partners that support your Community Blood Center.

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platelets across america comes to kansas! “You can give platelets 24 times a year. Platelet donors are very loyal. It would take a snowstorm to keep them from coming.”  ~Al Whitney Al, 71, has been a blood donor since the mid-1960s. He has given more than five gallons of whole blood and about 575 platelet donations. He helped organize many blood drives with the support of his local community blood bank, LifeShare Community Blood Services. In the fall of 2007, he said “I can do more than this.” And he came up with the idea of donating platelets in every state, naming his effort “Platelets Across America.” . . . read more of the story

give blood. get beans. CBC and The Roasterie© launch a new blood drive! On January 19, Community Blood Center and Kansas City’s premiere gourmet coffee brand, The Roasterie, teamed up to help save lives and let donors enjoy “life on the rim.” The first annual Give Blood. Get Beans. blood drive was held at all CBC Neighborhood Donation Centers. All registered donors received a complementary 2 oz. bag of CBC’s custom blend of coffee. The blend, which was created through a tasting by CBC staff members and donors Trish Beauchamp and John Harmon, is a combination of four beans from Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Sumatra and Colombia.   The drive proved to be quite successful with more than 700 guests taking advantage of the delightful and delicious coffee that is now being served at Neighborhood Donation Centers in Kansas City, Blue Springs, St. Joseph, Gladstone, Overland Park, Olathe and Topeka. CBC also held a Name-the-Blend contest in conjunction with the drive.  CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER, Sara Brown of Independence, Mo.  Sara came up with the name, Every Vital Drop. To learn more about how the coffee was created, visit our Facebook page to see photos and video from the “cupping.”

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Jay E. Menitove, M.D., President/CEO and Medical Director   Our Mission: To provide a volunteer blood supply and support services that meet the needs of patients, donors, physicians and hospitals.

FROM THE DESK OF Jay E. Menitove, M.D. Welcome to CBC’s newest forum, directed solely to those rolling up their sleeves and making a difference in another’s life. It is all about “Save a life. Right Here,Right Now!”  Blood transfusions make a big difference for accident victims, patients undergoing extensive surgical procedures, those with complex medical problems including chemotherapy treatments, and children with hemoglobin disorders such as sickle cell anemia. Community Blood Center’s (CBC) commitment to you, blood donors, focuses on making the donation process faster, easier, and more rewarding.  In this regard, CBC introduced spot vital devices earlier this year that will quicken the blood pressure, pulse, and temperature process.  Late last year, CBC signed a contract with Wyndgate Technologies to automate the donor history process.  That is, within 18 months, history questions will be recorded electronically along with a link to previously requested information about travel and medications.  At some point, we anticipate approval to ask fewer questions for those donating frequently. Those participating in the “Gift of Smiles” program know that their extended blood typing matches a sickle cell anemia patient’s red cell phenotype.  Thank you for generously agreeing to be a donor for a specific patient who has an on-going transfusion need. We also recognize the importance of a proper setting for blood donations.  Our “total store image” campaign addresses this need through an extensive remodeling plan for facilities enhancements.  Having the right coffee is part of this; CBC now proudly serves Roasterie’s “Every Vital Drop” in each of our neighborhood donor sites. Thanks for being a blood donor and helping someone in our community.

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CBC Upcoming Events March 30 Kansas City Celebration of Giving April 1 St. Joseph Celebration of Giving April 8 Topeka Celebration of Giving May 5 Blue Bell Ice Cream Pint for Pint June 26 – July 2 Kansas City Battle For Blood July 19-23 Royals Week August 16-20 Wizards Week November 22-26 Chiefs Week

2010 Save A Life Rewards* Double Point Bonus Days May 29 Saturday before Memorial Day July 3 Saturday before Independence Day September 4 Saturday before Labor Day November 26 Friday after Thanksgiving   November 27 Saturday after Thanksgiving December 23 Thursday before Christmas   December 24 Friday before Christmas December 30 Friday before New Year's Eve   December 31 Saturday, New Year's Eve

*CBC’s Save A Life Rewards program not only offers donors the opportunity to earn great gifts including movie tickets, but it allows you to track your wellness history information including cholesterol, blood pressure, pulse and temperature in easy-to-read graphs and charts. It’s free to join and is updated four days after each donation you make. Find out more about Save A Life Rewards Program In addition, from the site, donors can determine when they are eligible to donate whole blood and even schedule their next appointment. If you’re not a member yet, visit www.savealifenow.org and click the Save A Life Rewards icon to learn more

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