The NEED - By Stefani Bush (Sasha and Will's Mother)
3:30 in the morning…the silence in the ER is shattered with the sounds of a stretcher being rushed through the bay doors a paramedic hurriedly shares the history of the patient on the stretcher with the team receiving her. The patient sustained serious injuries in a motor
vehicle accident and has had significant blood loss. The only thing that is going to
save this woman’s life is already being called for…Blood.
400 miles away, on the 4th floor oncology unit, a child fighting cancer is lying awake in
his bed listening to the doctors tell his parents that his platelets are low
and he is in dire need of a platelet transfusion. This is the first time his
parents hear about platelet transfusion and they ask the doctor, “Where do they
come from?” The doctor replies, “Blood.”
A few floors below him, a woman who has a fever, shortness of breath with pain in the long
bones, abdomen, and chest is in a sickle cell crisis – brought on by illness. The doctors
have been running extensive tests to figure out the seriousness of this crisis and are
concerned that she may be at risk for a stroke or a heart attack and decide that she
will need a transfusion of the one thing that they are in critical need of: Blood.
1,000 miles north, a family surrounds their loved one as they pray for a successful heart
transplant. They blow kisses and shed many tears as he’s wheeled into the OR. During
this procedure, the patient receives a new heart, a new lease on life…but not without having
to receive 2 units of something that most don’t even realize: Blood.
25 miles east of that hospital, in my kitchen, my two children wait patiently as my
husband and I prime the tubing with the solution for their infusions. They giggle as they
watch Spongebob Squarepants – not realizing just how special each moment they
share truly is. Each child takes a turn getting set up (2 pokes, securing the
sites, starting the pump, putting the backpack on) and then we head off to the
living room for our weekly “Game Night” as a family for the 2 hours their
infusions are running. Their little bodies fight a battle every day due to
their immune deficiency…but thanks to their infusions, their bodies have to
fight a lot less and they have a better chance at a healthy and mostly normal
life. Each week, their infusion doses come from thousands of people who come
out and give BLOOD.
All across our nation thousands and thousands of people find themselves in situations
where the need for blood is not only appropriate, but life-saving. Blood donors are true
life savers, they give what no manufacturer could ever replicate. People often don’t
realize the many needs for blood – and often, because their lives are not immediately touched by this need, they don’t find the necessity to donate. The statistic that only 5%
of individuals who are eligible to donate blood actually get out there and donate is
quite alarming and is likely due to the fact that many do not realize just how great of an
impact their blood donation truly is.
As the summer draws to an end, the blood supply is critically low. Many donors are busy
with summer vacations, family gatherings, and work…people travel more and a rise in
accidents due to this travel add to the need for blood. Now, more than ever, we
need people to come out and give the gift of life.
On August 22nd, Kohls (in Chelmsford) will be hosting a Children’s Hospital Blood Drive
in their parking lot from 9am-3pm in honor of the 9 children of Team Hope who all
benefit from weekly infusions of blood product. We welcome our faithful donors
and we hope that we see some new donors at the drive. During the drive some of
the children will be present so that you may meet some of the wonderful little
spirits that your blood donation helps!
To make an appointment, please call
Stefani at 978-808-6023 or email her at TeamHopeIDF@aol.com
It only takes ONE person to change ONE life…BE THE ONE!
*************************
Please help support Team Hope and donate blood whenever you can. Thank You.
(Orignally Posted Aug 14/09)
3:30 in the morning…the silence in the ER is shattered with the sounds of a stretcher being rushed through the bay doors a paramedic hurriedly shares the history of the patient on the stretcher with the team receiving her. The patient sustained serious injuries in a motor
vehicle accident and has had significant blood loss. The only thing that is going to
save this woman’s life is already being called for…Blood.
400 miles away, on the 4th floor oncology unit, a child fighting cancer is lying awake in
his bed listening to the doctors tell his parents that his platelets are low
and he is in dire need of a platelet transfusion. This is the first time his
parents hear about platelet transfusion and they ask the doctor, “Where do they
come from?” The doctor replies, “Blood.”
A few floors below him, a woman who has a fever, shortness of breath with pain in the long
bones, abdomen, and chest is in a sickle cell crisis – brought on by illness. The doctors
have been running extensive tests to figure out the seriousness of this crisis and are
concerned that she may be at risk for a stroke or a heart attack and decide that she
will need a transfusion of the one thing that they are in critical need of: Blood.
1,000 miles north, a family surrounds their loved one as they pray for a successful heart
transplant. They blow kisses and shed many tears as he’s wheeled into the OR. During
this procedure, the patient receives a new heart, a new lease on life…but not without having
to receive 2 units of something that most don’t even realize: Blood.
25 miles east of that hospital, in my kitchen, my two children wait patiently as my
husband and I prime the tubing with the solution for their infusions. They giggle as they
watch Spongebob Squarepants – not realizing just how special each moment they
share truly is. Each child takes a turn getting set up (2 pokes, securing the
sites, starting the pump, putting the backpack on) and then we head off to the
living room for our weekly “Game Night” as a family for the 2 hours their
infusions are running. Their little bodies fight a battle every day due to
their immune deficiency…but thanks to their infusions, their bodies have to
fight a lot less and they have a better chance at a healthy and mostly normal
life. Each week, their infusion doses come from thousands of people who come
out and give BLOOD.
All across our nation thousands and thousands of people find themselves in situations
where the need for blood is not only appropriate, but life-saving. Blood donors are true
life savers, they give what no manufacturer could ever replicate. People often don’t
realize the many needs for blood – and often, because their lives are not immediately touched by this need, they don’t find the necessity to donate. The statistic that only 5%
of individuals who are eligible to donate blood actually get out there and donate is
quite alarming and is likely due to the fact that many do not realize just how great of an
impact their blood donation truly is.
As the summer draws to an end, the blood supply is critically low. Many donors are busy
with summer vacations, family gatherings, and work…people travel more and a rise in
accidents due to this travel add to the need for blood. Now, more than ever, we
need people to come out and give the gift of life.
On August 22nd, Kohls (in Chelmsford) will be hosting a Children’s Hospital Blood Drive
in their parking lot from 9am-3pm in honor of the 9 children of Team Hope who all
benefit from weekly infusions of blood product. We welcome our faithful donors
and we hope that we see some new donors at the drive. During the drive some of
the children will be present so that you may meet some of the wonderful little
spirits that your blood donation helps!
To make an appointment, please call
Stefani at 978-808-6023 or email her at TeamHopeIDF@aol.com
It only takes ONE person to change ONE life…BE THE ONE!
*************************
Please help support Team Hope and donate blood whenever you can. Thank You.
(Orignally Posted Aug 14/09)
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