Stanford Blood Center to Host South Bay Community Drives to Boost Summer Blood Supply

July, 2009
Attention News Desk: Press Release (for immediate release)
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Michele Hyndman (650) 723-8237
mhyndman@stanford.edu,
Deanna Bolio (650) 725-3804 or (408) 933-8067
dbolio@stanford.edu

STANFORD, Calif. —The Stanford Blood Center will hold its second annual mobile blood drive in partnership with the Major League Soccer team, the San Jose Earthquakes, on July 11 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara.

Eligible donors of all blood types are encouraged to donate between 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the stadium’s VIP parking lot prior to the 7:30 p.m. start of the Earthquakes vs. Toronto FC soccer match. Anyone who attempts to donate will be entered into a drawing for an autographed Earthquakes team jersey. In addition, there will be more than 200 blood donors and their families in attendance at the game. These ticketholders are blood donors who won drawings held at the center throughout the last two weeks of June.

The next day, on July 12, the center’s bloodmobile will be pulling up to the 700 block of Pronto Drive in San Jose, where it has already booked a full schedule of donors for Ava’s Drive. Ava Hernandez was two weeks shy of her fourth birthday when she passed away from neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the nervous system that affects infants and young children. Ava received several blood transfusions over the course of her treatment at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. To show her support of blood donors and the donation process, Cristal Hernandez is holding this drive in memory of her daughter between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“Not nearly enough people know about the need for blood,” Cristal Hernandez said. “I didn’t really know about it, either, until Ava needed so many blood and platelet transfusions. So many people want to give back a little bit, and they don’t know how. I thought having this blood drive at my home would bring awareness to the issue, as well as make the process more personal.”

Because Cristal’s family, friends and neighbors have already scheduled more than 75 appointments to donate blood, Stanford Blood Center is no longer accepting appointments for this drive.

“We’re honored that Ava’s family and friends have chosen to hold a blood drive with Stanford Blood Center as a way to honor her memory. Dozens of patients’ lives will be touched and saved because of their generous spirit,” said center spokesperson Michele Hyndman.

Donors can call (650) 723-7831 or toll-free (888) 723-7831 to make an appointment and get directions. Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour.

For more information or to schedule an appointment online, please visit https://bloodcenter-stg.stanford.edu.

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The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.