Hannah's Story continued

hugs, pictures, tears and overwhelming gratitude In anticipation of meeting her donors, Hannah was understandably nervous. “I am overwhelmed. I only hope I can say the right things to show them my appreciation. It means a lot,” she said. The meeting meant a lot to her donors, as well. It was an opportunity of a lifetime they did not intend to miss even though they had to travel snow-packed roads to get there. Jo Ann Bird, a hospital medical technician, cried when she heard that her donations had helped a young, teenage girl. “I was surprised and excited when I got the invitation to attend. I got goose bumps. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” Bob Bly, a retired landscape professional, said it is quite an honor. “It’s something I have always wanted to see ever since the first time I ever gave blood.” He made his first donation when he was 17 to help save the life of a classmate after an auto accident and has donated more than 90 times. Lynn Jandt, a phlebotomist, didn’t start donating until she became a Community Blood Center employee. “Because I am AB positive, I didn’t think my blood was really in demand. But I found out differently,” she said. “So when I heard that my platelets had saved someone’s life, oh my gosh, I can’t explain how excited I was.” When Barbara Osborn, an emergency room registration secretary, received the invitation to meet Hannah, she thought “This is something I can’t turn down.” Barbara has donated six gallons of life-saving blood simply because “It’s the right thing to do.” Hannah’s mother, DeeJo Miller, was grateful for the opportunity to personally thank the total strangers who helped save her daughter’s life. “I didn’t know I would be so overwhelmed. We didn’t know you, you didn’t know us. Yet you are part of our journey. Every day that Hannah gets to go out there and live, be normal, go to college and grow up to be who she is going to be, her donors are a part of that, “DeeJo said. all blood types and all walks of life “Hannah’s Heroes” are proof it not only takes a village to save a life, but it takes all types. And not just blood types, but people from all walks of life. Hannah’s 140-plus donors included an advertising agency vice president, pediatric nurse, small business owner, bookkeeper and utilities lineman in addition to two Community Blood Center employees. Their ages ranged from the 20s to the 80s. They represented a variety of ethnic backgrounds and faiths. “They are vastly different in many ways, but they are all the same in one way – they’re blood donors who care enough to take an hour from their schedule to help donate life-saving blood,” David Graham, the Community Blood Center’s Vice President of Hospital and Donor Services, said. In addition to personally thanking her daughter’s donors, DeeJo hoped to bring attention to the importance of donating. “Hannah’s isn’t the only story like that. This happens all the time every day and it is happening today. There are people still needing transfusions. Here is your opportunity to do something good. It’s about doing the right thing,” she said. “The satisfaction of giving blood is one of the most remarkable things a donor receives because there is no tangible reward for donating. But to connect the donor and recipient is just one of the most wonderful things you can do,” Dr. Jay Menitove, the Community Blood Center’s CEO and Medical Director, said.

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Gift of Smiles continued

Today Mikayla, 8, and Marcel, 10, are leading normal, active lives. But “normal” for them means receiving life-saving blood transfusions every four weeks through a Community Blood Center program known as Gift of Smiles. This special program not only provides blood to help children who are Sickle Cell Disease patients – from toddlers to teens – at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. It also helps these children enjoy life and smile a little bit more.  Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited disease. It is passed on to children when both parents possess a hemoglobin S gene (the sickle cell trait). In the United States, about 1 in 12 African-Americans have the sickle cell trait and approximately 1 in 400 newborns have Sickle Cell Disease. Red blood cells are typically smooth and disc-shaped. But in Sickle Cell Disease, they take the form of a crescent and clump together, forming blockages in the vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to limbs and organs. Blood transfusions help benefit Sickle Cell Disease patients by reducing complications including recurrent pain crises and risk of stroke.  Mikayla suffered her first stroke when she was only 4 and a second stroke last year.  “After the first stroke, from that day forward she has been getting regular transfusions,” Ericka said. Marcel suffered a stroke soon after he was diagnosed, spent 30 days in the hospital and struggled with complications that included seizures and hallucinations.  “He started getting transfusions shortly after the stroke. Since the transfusions started, he has not had any complications from the disease,” Lasalle said. Despite the hospitalizations, needles, ongoing visits to doctors and constant probing by medical staff, Mikayla and Marcel continue to demonstrate an attitude of acceptance. “I am just different from everyone else,” Mikayla said. “The hard part is getting the shots. But I am getting used to it,” Marcel said.   Children who have Sickle Cell Disease typically require ongoing and regular blood transfusions throughout their life. Through Gift of Smiles, CBC encourages donors who have the precious and rare gift to help these deserving children. “There is a lot that is unknown about Sickle Cell Disease. Gift of Smiles definitely brings out the need for giving blood,” Ericka said. “We really appreciate people who give blood. A small percentage of people are matches. It is a blessing for people to donate. If there weren’t donations, we probably wouldn’t be here today,” LaSalle said. CBC is proud and excited to be the supplier of blood for the Children’s Mercy Hospital Sickle Cell Disease Program. How can you help? Sickle Cell patients need regular and ongoing transfusions of blood that closely matches their own blood. There are rare blood antigens unique to each ethnicity and it is difficult to find blood types for recipients. Often the best match is found in someone with the same ethnicity. You can help by donating blood at a CBC Neighborhood Donation Center. If your blood closely matches one of the Sickle Cell patients at Children’s Mercy, we hope you will consider being a regular donor in the program.

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platelets across america continued “What greater charity can you give to?” Platelets are blood cells that help control bleeding. People going through many life-saving treatments require platelet transfusions – including cancer, burn, heart surgery, bone marrow and organ transplant patients. Platelets only last for five days so the need for new donors is ongoing. “The platelets I give today will be used by the end of the week. A patient will benefit.”    ~Al Whitney With his tour, Al hopes to overcome the main reason more people don’t donate platelets. “They just don’t know about it. People understand donating whole blood. They don’t understand the process of donating platelets. It’s easier to get someone in to donate whole blood and then switch them over,” he said. As he shared his story with employees at the donation center, he explained the donation process. “You go on a machine and they draw about two tablespoons of blood. They spin it down, pull off the platelets and return it. They keep going back and forth until they get a unit which is approximately three tablespoons of fluid. Your body replaces those platelets in 24-48 hours. Your body is a fantastic machine,” he said. Why is donating platelets so important to Al? “Go to a cancer ward and you’ll see. Take one hour every eight weeks and donate a pint of blood. That’s like volunteering six hours a year. What greater charity can you give to?” To learn more about becoming a platelet donor, please visit www.savealifenow.org Or call the Community Blood Center at 816-968-4055.

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Community Blood Center (CBC) 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.