Here at SBC, we love celebrating our incredible milestone donors and their impact on helping support patients in our community. One of those heroes is Valerie McGuire, who recently made her 400th milestone donation. Public Relations Officer Ross Coyle interviewed the Menlo Park resident about what inspires her to donate and what keeps her coming back…

By Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, with medical support and expertise from Dr. Tho Pham, Chief Medical Officer While all blood donors are united by the same general donation experience and, typically, the same passion for supporting others in the community, we naturally tend to distinguish ourselves by our blood types. And doing so is only…

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…

By Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist When most people give blood, they do so without even a hint as to who or what type of patient could be on the receiving end, and they rarely have the opportunity to give to the same patient twice. Many of our blood donors have embraced this extreme anonymity, and…

By Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist While most folks associate Stanford with Palo Alto, at SBC, the nature of blood collection means we need to be tapped into communities throughout the Bay Area. One of the most significant ways we’re able to connect with individuals and ultimately make donating possible for many people is via our…

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…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today, January 27, 2023, that it is proposing a change from time-based deferrals to assessing blood donor eligibility using gender-inclusive, individual risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV. This proposal is in line with policies in place in countries like the United Kingdom and Canada. Stanford...

What does your 200th blood donation mean to you? Two hundred donations represent 25 Gallons! I’ve contributed a valued, tangible resource that can perhaps further research, education or life-saving medical treatment, and that feels great! What led you to donate blood the first time? I first donated blood upon accepting an acquaintance’s invitation to participate…

If you’re a donor, you probably know that platelets help to induce clotting and control bleeding and are needed for local patients. Unfortunately, most cancer treatments cause low blood counts, so patients often require life-saving blood products during treatment. Donating platelets is a great way to support cancer patients in our community, especially those treated for leukemia…

Here at SBC, we love to celebrate our incredible milestone donors and the impact they’ve had on helping support patients in our community. Bob Berends recently made his 400th milestone donation at the Mountain View center. Public Relations Officer Ross Coyle interviewed the San Jose resident about what inspires him to donate and what keeps him…

While plasma had been transfused as part of whole blood for hundreds of years, the specific value of plasma became acutely clear as a result of the devastating violence of WWII. Though plasma could not replace lost red cells and platelets, plasma and its related products were far easier to transport than whole blood (which…

Our milestone donors are the heartbeat of SBC. From time-to-time, we like to give a special shout-out to those who have gone above and beyond to help support patients in need. Gary Cooper recently made his 400th milestone donation at our South Bay center. Our Public Relations Officer, Ross Coyle, interviewed the San Jose resident about…