By Ava Malm
Diane Bodily is alive today to see her son, Austin, start first grade thanks to the blood she received during an emergency blood transfusion.
Bodily, of Layton, was seven months pregnant with Austin when her uterus ruptured. Twenty-three minutes after walking through the hospital doors with her husband, Bodily lost all the blood in her body.
Thanks to organizations like The American Red Cross, blood was available for doctors to replace Diane”s entire blood volume and forty percent of Austin”s blood volume.
The American Red Cross is touring the United States in its first ever Save a Life Tour.
“The whole point of the tour is to encourage people to donate throughout the year,” said Judy Christensen, communications director for the Lewis and Clark Region of the American Red Cross.
The goal of the tour, which ends in November 2003, is to collect 3 million blood donations.
Approximately 1.7 million donations had been made as of Sept. 1, 2003.
The American Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C. are confident in achieving this goal.
“We are on track right now at the run rate we are on to meet goal by November 20, and we are looking forward to reaching that goal,” said Noha Abdalla, senior analyst in Biomedical Services for headquarters.
The tour features two Red Cross groups traveling to a total of 345 communities. The southwest group is in Florence, Ala., while the northeast group is in Freeport, Maine.
At each stop, a donation goal is set. The Red Cross collects about one pint of blood from each person who donates.
The tour set a goal for Provo to have 100 donors in July. Provo residents exceeded the goal and made 120 donations.
The donation goal for Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas was 1,000 units. More than 1,100 units were collected, making it the area with the most donations thus far on the tour.
At the end of the tour, the national headquarters will do national and regional level recognition for their largest sponsors.
The amount of blood needed in the United States is great. Statistics show that someone needs a blood transfusion every two seconds.
In Utah, someone needs blood every eight minutes. However, the blood needs to be collected and ready before the need arises.
“You can save up to three people”s lives in one donation,” said one collections specialist.
Four to five Red Cross blood drives occur on BYU campus each month. Different stakes sponsor the drives, but all students are welcome to donate, the Red Cross said.
“College students as a group of people are very strong donors,” Christensen said. “About 4,000 blood donations are collected from BYU each year.”
All blood types are always needed. Although only seven percent of the population has type 0 negative blood, Christensen said the most rare type of blood is the one you do not have on the shelf when you need it.
“Blood donations help save lives, and we think it is worth an hour of your time and a pint of your blood to make a difference in someone”s life,” Christensen said.
Donating blood takes about an hour. Donors are required to have a mini physical and have their blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and iron levels read. The donation itself only takes about five minutes.
Donors need to be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, and not have donated blood in the previous 56 days.
Bodily and her husband are donors for The American Red Cross. Diane Bodily is also serving as vice chairperson of the board of directors for the Lewis and Clark blood services region of The American Red Cross.
Bodily”s responsibilities include traveling across the United States sharing her experience and explaining the importance of donating blood. She tells potential donors that her life and her son”s life were saved because of blood donations.
“A statistic that is very startling nationally, is one out of three of us across the nation, will at some point either need or know someone who needs blood,” Bodily said. “What an incredible gift, I mean you very literally are saving a life or sustaining the quality of life for someone who is in need.”
Two Information Boxes.
Donation eligibility guidelines
Donors need to be:
At least 17 years of age, at least 110lbs., in general good health, and can not have donated in the last 56 days.
Upcoming Blood Drives On Campus
1. Red Cross:
September 15 (Monday)
2260 Harmon Building 10am-5pm
2. Mountain Star Blood Drive:
September 16-19 WSC Garden Court Tuesday 9a.m.-3p.m.
Wednesday 9a.m.-3p.m.
Thursday 9a.m.-3p.m.
Friday 9a.m.-3p.m.
To find out about blood drives in your area or to ask questions about donating, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.givelife.org.
