Easy ways to inspire new donors
Some of our dedicated blood and platelet donors tell us they wish they could help us bring new donors into our centers. We are grateful for this kind of help! Below, we have a few ideas to share that could...
Inspiration
Blood given, not shed
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
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...
Blood centers, airport pull together to honor plane crash victims
By Dayna Kerecman Myers As news of the Asiana plane crash on July 6 at San Francisco International Airport trickled in, we began hearing from blood donors asking if they could help. Their offers were well timed. Stanford Blood Center...
#WhyIGiveBlood – Your Responses
(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
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...
Bubble Girl: Better Screening, Treatments Offer Hope for Kids with Immune Disorder
By Erin Digitale, Staff Writer for the department of Communication & Public Affairs at the Stanford School of Medicine For most of Isabella Messina’s first year of life, people who wanted to see her had to squirt their hands with...
I Am
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.
Gold-Blooded Family
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
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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.