Blood Bank of Delmarva Senior Executive Director Patty Killeen and Medical Director Dr. Bruce Sachais discussed the urgent need for donations, the facility currently holds just a three day supply of blood products to support the nineteen hospitals across the region relying on them. Ms Killeen described their locations and explained the collection process, plus safeguards to make sure all donations are safe. Dr Sachais described the blood products they collect, from red cells to platelets, and the process each donation goes through before being distributed to a hospital or clinic and their short shelf-life. He spoke of who needs blood, beyond trauma victims, the BBD delivers blood for patients with chronic or acute illness, including cancer and sickle cell anemia. He also addressed the vital need for a more diverse pool of donors, people recieving multiple units need closer and closer matches. They described who can give – nearly everybody; the time involved – about an hour, and they addressed the myths that keep us from giving. It will hurt – not really, and you can’t have tattoos, which depends on where you recieved your ink and if the establishment is licensed. Ms Killeen spoke of their dediated volunteers, a young man who’d recieved 80 units during his childhood cancer battle, and the familiy or Maverick, a premature baby who needed eight after his birth, and asked us to consider not just donating, but hosting a blood drive. For more information about donating, blood drives or other volunteer opportunities visit delmarvablood.org
The Blood Bank of Delmarva is a sponsor of the 2021 MIX 99.5 WJBR Help Our Kids Radiothon, September 16 and 17th, benefitting Nemours Childrens Hospital – one of the 19 hospitals relying on their work. For more information go to nemours.org/radiothon