SBC Stories

November is National Prematurity Awareness Month and World Prematurity Day is honored each year on November 17 to increase awareness about preterm birth. When born before the 37th week of pregnancy, a baby is considered to be premature or preterm. Babies born early may miss out on important developments in the womb and, the earlier…

Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all of those who have bravely served our country over the years. In honor of the holiday, we interviewed just one of multiple veterans here at SBC who continue to pursue their passion for serving others. Lynn Eisberg, Operations Support Supervisor, has been with SBC for over 16…

Dear Donors, With our counties’ recent move into the purple tier and increasing concern once again over public safety, blood donors are needed now more than ever. Stanford Blood Center is so grateful to those of you who continue to show up for local patients, even during times like these. While the need to collect...

This summer, Stanford Blood Center (SBC) and LifeServe Blood Center brought together two very special heroes. Shanti Minkstein, a photographer from San Francisco, California, and Lance Becker, a banker from Des Moines, Iowa, joined a Zoom call to discuss their experiences as COVID-19 survivors. They had never met before, but they share a bond that…

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…

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…

Roughly three weeks before any social distancing regulations were instituted in the Bay Area, back when local COVID-19 cases were few and seemingly contained, Kendra Nash went on a long-anticipated ski trip with 11 of her close friends. What was intended to be a relaxing getaway, however, became the center of an intricate web of…

At just 19 years old, Julie Cruzal’s world was shaken when, for the first time that she could remember, it was her own hero — her mom — who needed saving. On that fateful day, Julie witnessed the terrifying consequences of a medical condition her mom was experiencing that impacted her blood supply, unbeknownst to…

John Tallarida has been an active and passionate blood donor for most of his adult life. When John was only about nine years old, his father was hit by a tractor rig in a devastating accident, after which the doctors reported that he had only a five percent chance of surviving. Though this was an…

Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all of those who have bravely served our country over the years. In honor of the holiday, we interviewed just one of multiple veterans here at SBC who continue to pursue their passion for serving others. Lynn Eisberg, Operations Support Supervisor, has been with SBC for over 16…

If you’ve ever interacted with our website or promotional items in any way, you’ve seen the handiwork of Jess Paik, SBC’s brilliant Graphic Designer. In her role on the Marketing & Communications team, Jess develops signage, ads, web banners and all your favorite t-shirt designs (yes, including GLT!), to name a few. What few people…

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…

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…