Inspiration

Blood given, not shed

August 7, 2013 at 1:42 pm
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With war and bloodshed inescapable in many places around the world, the French artist Hady Sy considers art his weapon. His “One Blood” exhibit carries a powerful message about the ability to save lives through donating blood — a concept...

How I saved a man’s life

July 24, 2013 at 7:21 am
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By Peter Garrison This piece was originally published in the Los Angeles Times on June 29, 2013. I saved a man’s life. It feels odd to utter that sentence. It sounds like a request for admiration or at the very least...

#WhyIGiveBlood – Your Responses

June 27, 2013 at 1:28 pm
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(Comments from FB post on 2/8) Many blood donors have unique reasons for giving blood. Perhaps a close friend or family member needed a life-saving blood transfusion. Or maybe it’s all about the cookies and POG! We recently asked folks...

#WhyIGiveBlood – Your Responses Part 2

June 5, 2013 at 1:22 pm
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Many blood donors have unique reasons for giving blood. Perhaps a close friend or family member needed a life-saving blood transfusion. Or maybe it’s all about the cookies and POG! We recently asked folks through our Facebook page to share...

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I Am

September 18, 2012 at 10:30 am
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I woke up one Tuesday and knew it was going to be a crappy day. I asked my daughter to get herself ready for school and wake me when it was time for me to drive her there. I e-mailed my personal trainer and cancelled my first appointment to launch a workout routine. Even showering felt like too much effort.

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Gold-Blooded Family

August 15, 2012 at 12:39 pm
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When Randy Helmonds, wife Lisa, and their two teenage boys donate blood, they take an unconventional approach. Why sit quietly in the donor chair when it can be so much more exciting? "Creating a friendly, competitive environment is a fun direction to go," shares Randy who wants blood donation to be something his family looks forward to.

Living with Hereditary Spherocytosis

August 13, 2012 at 11:46 am
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By Sinead Borgersen, Coordinator for Nimsoft Blood Drives

My two-year-old son Faelan has a hereditary red blood cell fragility disorder called hereditary spherocytosis. He inherited it from me and I inherited from my mother with another of my siblings. His red blood cells are fragile and spherical in shape instead of the normal donut shape due to a defective gene that causes the shell to be misshapen, like a pole missing in a tent. His red blood cells live a shorter life and the spleen becomes enlarged as it attacks the red blood cells, causing them to live a very shortened lifespan of 3-10 days. So he is anemic and fatigues easily.

Granulocyte Infusions Saved Little Katelyn

July 24, 2012 at 12:08 pm
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By Dr. Jennifer Andrews, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pathology (Transfusion Medicine) and Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)

When I first met Katelyn Do, she had already been diagnosed by my Pediatric Hematology colleagues with severe aplastic anemia. That means essentially that her bone marrow was no longer producing any blood cells, including white blood cells (in charge of fighting infections), red blood cells (in charge of carrying oxygen to all the organs in the body) and platelets (in charge of stopping any bleeding).