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BLOOD AND BONE MARROW DONATION LITERALLY ASKS YOU TO … GIVE OF YOURSELF

Sun Publications (IL) July 30, 1998 In light of the recent blood shortage in the Chicagoland area, medical news has been flooded with pleas for potential donors to raise their arms and volunteer. If somebody is involved in a serious automobile accident or experiences a particularly critical childbirth process, the availability of blood for an emergency transfusion may mean the difference between life and death.

Amy Gardner-Nummer, manager of recruitment and public relations at LifeSource, said her corporation encourages blood donation because it is easy, convenient and a way to help others. in our site bone marrow donation

“You never know when you’re going to be on the other side of the equation — not the donor, but the patient,” she said.

“We need 1,500 donors each day to come forward.” Gardner-Nummer cited a medical study conducted by the University of Kansas in August 1996 that concluded that men who donated blood three times a year could effectively reduce their risk of heart disease by 50 percent.

When red blood cells die, they collect on arteries and veins, forming plaque, which can block blood circulation, she said.

The remarkable reduction in risk cited by the aforementioned study can be attributed to the fact that donation can help promote smoother, more efficient circulation, thus reducing the risk of a heart attack, Gardner-Nummer said.

According to Gardner-Nummer, each one pint-per-person donation has the potential to help multiple people.

First, the red blood cells are used in surgery and for transplants.

Secondly, the platelets can be used in formulating clotting factor for hemophiliacs or for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Lastly, the plasma portion can help with fluid replacement, as with burn victims for instance.

LifeSource will allow an individual to donate once every eight weeks, which allows enough time for replenishment of the body’s blood supply.

In this respect, Gardner-Nummer described the people as “little contained factories walking around.” Donors must be between 17 and 80 years of age and weigh at least 110 pounds.

In Illinois, 16-year-olds can donate with parental consent, as can 80-plus-year-old seniors with a letter from a physician.

The donation process begins with a miniphysical, during which a nurse takes the potential donor’s temperature, pulse, blood pressure and iron count. Next, a brief but in-depth interview takes place, during which questions regarding medication, recent travel experiences (to rule out visits to CDC-identified malarial zones) and personal life are asked.

Other standard questions include “Have you ever had sex with a man who has had sex with a man since 1977?” or “Have you ever exchanged money or sex for drugs?” Inquiries such as these, Gardner-Nummer said, help donation centers to identify potential high-risk individuals for diseases such as HIV. go to web site bone marrow donation

The subsequent donation process, which lasts about 30 minutes, is not painful, Gardner-Nummer said.

There is absolutely no risk of catching a disease such as hepatitis or HIV through donating, she said.

“The bag and needle are used simply for that donation, so there is no opportunity for you to have contamination or infection passed on,” she said.

Mythical risks aside, she acknowledged that donation is suitable for everybody.

Those who feel lightheaded or faint may choose not to donate but can still help the cause by volunteering for other duties.

Although blood is, well, the lifeline of most donations centers, there is an omnipresent need for bone marrow as well.

Marrow, which is found in the center of bones and is rich in T-cells, is often needed by people with leukemia, sickle-cell anemia or aplastic anemia.

The National Bone Marrow Registry is a compiled list of 6 million individuals and their bone marrow type, as has been determined by a scientific process called antigen testing.

Gardner-Nummer said 3,000 such patients in the United States search the list for a match every month; a match that requires extreme specificity.

It costs $45 for donors to have the few spoonfuls of blood drawn to test for bone marrow type.

But why would a healthy individual pay out-of-pocket just to help another person? “There’s a compassion that says `If there is a person out there and I might be their last chance, count me in,’” Gardner-Nummer said.

An imbalance exists between the number of Caucasians and the number of minorities on the registry.

Because of this discrepancy, Gardner-Nummer said grants exist to encourage minorities to participate.

A nurse prepares to being drawing blood from a volunteer donor during a blood drive.