Working at Virginia Blood Services is very rewarding. I work in the telerecruitment area, where we call donors to let them know they are eligible to donate blood again. We also inform them of any special needs, whether we are low on a certain blood type, or are in need for a certain reason (liver transplant, heart transplant, etc.). It feels good when we let a donor know we have a person in need of blood for a liver transplant and they are in the center donating three hours later. Donors don’t usually se the people that they help, but in rare occasions we do and it is rewarding to know that we have saved someone and have given them another chance to live.
One of seven people admitted to the hospital need a transfusion, which can total out to about 4.5 million people who need a transfusion every year just on the continent of North America. Many people each year need blood transfusions for several different reasons. Whether the reason is tragic accidents or lifelong diseases, people come into the hospitals in Virginia each year and receive blood transfusions which come from the donors of blood donation facilities, like Virginia Blood Services.
We have a number of testimonials on our webpage (www.vablood.org) of patients that we have helped to survive. Among these patients are Christiane Holmberg Potes, who at the age of 14 collapsed and was taking to a hospital to discover she “had a deadly brain hemorrhage.” The donations of 42 blood donors and several hours of surgery helped to save her life. Also, Amanda Fitzgerald who is a young girl with Sickle Cell Anemia, receives blood transfusions each month. These are just some examples of the people blood donors help each day. It truly is a wonderful feeling to take 30 minutes out of your day to save someone’s life. If people weren’t willing to donate, people like Christiane and Amanda would not be alive today.
Every month at Virginia Blood Services employees receive a newsletter and in that letter we sometimes have stories of people we have recently helped. One I remember specifically was about a young boy around the age of 7 years old with Leukemia who we have helped to keep alive with blood transfusions. It is so important that blood donors know how important their donations are. These donations go to help people who are fighting for their lives and appreciate their donations so much.
(This is a picture of Christiane Holmberg Potes, who was saved by a blood donation.)
