SBC Stories connects blood donors and patients though storytelling, with new weekly articles on our blog, HemoBLOGin, featured patient stories and videos, and publications. Our patient stories inspire and move us to be of service the most vulnerable in our community, and our donor stories illustrate the many ways donors make a difference in patients’ lives every day.
HemoBLOGin — The Stanford Blood Center Blog (Read All)
FDA Releases Updated Deferrals
On September 17, SBC updated and, in some cases, reduced deferral periods for a number of risk factors, including travel to malaria-risk regions, tattoos, and risk of HIV (which includes guidance around men who have sex with men). These changes, which were recommended by the FDA earlier this year and are based on scientific health…
SBC Team Member and Volunteer Firefighter Phillip Martin Is “Loyal to the Soil”
In the wake of an awful fire season in California — one that is affecting our donors and team members alike — we want to extend our sincere gratitude to those firefighters who give their time to keeping our community as safe as possible. One such firefighter we felt it particularly fitting to spotlight is…
FAQ on Novel Coronavirus and Blood Donation
We would like to take this opportunity to provide some additional information about coronavirus and blood donation. Our hope is that people interested in donating blood consider all of the facts of the situation, namely that COVID-19 does not pose any special risk to blood donors during the donation process or from attending blood drives....
Patient Stories (Read All)
Knoll’s Story: A Preemie’s Not-So-Little Battle
As first-time parents, Kylie De La O-Menard and her husband Guillaume Menard knew that there were many challenges they would have to work through as part of learning to care for a new baby — the exhaustion, the baby’s crying, the frequent nursing. Leading up to the birth of their son Knoll, however, these challenges…
Teddy’s Story: Overcoming Acute Myeloid Leukemia
When Teddy Oh was 18 months old, his mother and father, Won and Jin, knew something was not right. Teddy had had a persistent cough, and though his doctors did not think much of it at first, the cough was quickly compounded with additional symptoms, principally lethargy and distention of his stomach. A week after…
Nicole’s Story: Fighting Aplastic Anemia with “Little Bags of Life”
Donor Stories (Read All)
Robert’s CCP Story: Spreading the Word
As a pilot, Robert Jendrey is always on the go. And while typically having the ability to travel around the world is considered a great luxury, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in its infancy and suspicion of global transmission was low, increased travel could prove to be dangerous. It was in early March, before any…
Andrew’s Story: Fighting Back With COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma
In early March, COVID-19, while present in San Mateo County, was still reported to be a low health risk to the general public. In fact, the first case of unknown origin in the county had just been identified March 2. So, when Andrew Armstrong, a healthy and athletic father of two young boys, began experiencing…
Chuck’s Story: A Lifesaving Legacy
If you’re a regular at our South Bay Center, you may know one of our dedicated platelet donors, Chuck Fannin. Standing at 6’10” and wearing bright pink high-top basketball shoes, Chuck never misses an opportunity to give his three bags of platelets to help patients in need. His personal connection to giving blood, from both…
Team SBC Stories (Read All)
SBC Team Member and Volunteer Firefighter Phillip Martin Is “Loyal to the Soil”
In the wake of an awful fire season in California — one that is affecting our donors and team members alike — we want to extend our sincere gratitude to those firefighters who give their time to keeping our community as safe as possible. One such firefighter we felt it particularly fitting to spotlight is…
Dan’s Story: Giving Back Globally
In December 2019, Dan Gross joined SBC as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this role, he provides strategic direction and oversees everyday operations that impact the entire donation experience, from the moment a donor is called about giving blood to when the prepared product is shipped out to a local patient. While working at a…
A Passion for Patient Care: Isaac’s Journey From Navy Corpsman to SBC’s Asst. Director of Research & Clinical Services
Isaac Moreno, SBC’s Assistant Director of Research and Clinical Services, spends his day-to-day helping the Blood Center ensure that any blood components that cannot be transfused to current patients are used to support research on groundbreaking cures and therapies for the patients of the future. Isaac’s commitment to service, and particularly to helping patients, goes...
SBC Volunteer Stories (Read All)
Dan and John’s Story: Building Community Through Service
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…
Closer to Home: When Blood Donation Gets Personal
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….
Volunteer Spotlight — Jennifer Harris
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…