SBC Stories

By Praveen Gurunath Bharathi My journey as a blood donor began with a personal family emergency. Years ago, my uncle in India needed blood for his heart surgery. I remember feeling apprehensive at first, unsure if I would even be eligible to donate due to my weight. But I decided to try, and it was…

Amy Malvase hadn’t given much thought to the idea of blood donation until spending time at her dad’s side during his treatment for a gastrointestinal bleed. He struggled with low hemoglobin, requiring several blood transfusions. “There was one time when he needed a more urgent transfusion,” she recalls. “We were so fortunate that the blood…

Annie Shiau’s journey as a blood donor began when she was just 16 as an American living overseas in Taipei. Back then, she would often pass by the bloodmobiles and feel a pull to help, but because she wasn’t a resident, she wasn’t eligible to donate. “As a teenager, I wanted to help, so it…

By Julie Peachey, Public Relations Officer We first introduced you to young Hadley in January 2021 when she was just six years old and a year into her treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Hadley had started kindergarten in the fall of 2019 when she began experiencing pain in her legs, causing her to limp and…

By Samantha Baker, Communications Strategist One early morning in 1997, 35-year-old Monterey Peninsula resident Michael V. had difficulty sleeping due to an unusual feeling. “My heart was pounding away as if it was going to come out of my chest,” he said. He called for his wife, who rushed over to him. Michael looked at…

“I’ve been a regular blood donor my whole adult life, and I’ve been humbled to be on the receiving end for a change.”   Amber Kerr is many things. A scholar, a university lecturer, a world traveler, a mother of three, an avid blood donor — and, as of late last year, a blood recipient….

By Praveen Gurunath Bharathi My journey as a blood donor began with a personal family emergency. Years ago, my uncle in India needed blood for his heart surgery. I remember feeling apprehensive at first, unsure if I would even be eligible to donate due to my weight. But I decided to try, and it was…

Amy Malvase hadn’t given much thought to the idea of blood donation until spending time at her dad’s side during his treatment for a gastrointestinal bleed. He struggled with low hemoglobin, requiring several blood transfusions. “There was one time when he needed a more urgent transfusion,” she recalls. “We were so fortunate that the blood…

Annie Shiau’s journey as a blood donor began when she was just 16 as an American living overseas in Taipei. Back then, she would often pass by the bloodmobiles and feel a pull to help, but because she wasn’t a resident, she wasn’t eligible to donate. “As a teenager, I wanted to help, so it…

By Samm Baker, Communications Strategist Throughout her remarkable 50-year journey with Stanford, Wendy Leong has exemplified unwavering dedication as an integral part of the Histocompatibility Laboratory. During her tenure, she has been a firsthand witness (and integral part of) to the laboratory’s evolution, from its early days as the Tissue Typing Laboratory to its current…

By Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, and Phillip Martin, SBC Account Manager The below article was originally published in September 2020, when Phillip Martin, SBC Account Manager, was an active volunteer firefighter. We are republishing this article in early 2023 to celebrate Phillip’s retirement from the force last year after 15 years of service to the…

We hope everyone had a very happy Father’s Day! It’s one of life’s joys to be able to spend quality time with your family on special occasions. Our Marketing and Communications Specialist, Felicia Gonsalves, knows first-hand the impact blood donors have on patients’ lives. She shares her story of how her family came awfully close…

In honor of National Best Friends Day this year, we interviewed two of our most dedicated SBC volunteers: Dan Rhoads and John Henry. Though their backgrounds are in some ways quite opposite (“yin and yang,” as they say), the two met and have formed a strong bond, largely through their joint commitment to blood donation…

When Rachel Ren* was a junior, she was thrilled at the opportunity to give blood at her high school’s SBC mobile drive. Rachel had never had an experience with blood donation before — never had a family member need blood that she could remember, never needed blood herself — but she felt called to help….

It’s time for your winter Volunteer Spotlight! Stanford Blood Center (SBC) is incredibly thankful for our volunteers, who play a very important role in our health care community. It is our pleasure to introduce one of our wonderful helpers, Jennifer Harris.   Why do you volunteer at SBC? I believe in the importance of volunteering…