In this edition:

• Cholesterol Testing For All Blood Donors!
• Last Chance to Join the All Star Game Raffle
• Tell Us What Snacks You Want
• Ben's Story
• September is Leukemia & Lymphoma Awareness Month

 

Cholesterol Testing For All Blood Donors!

You help patients every time you donate blood, now we'd like to help you by giving you your “total cholesterol” after each blood donation! Blood Centers of the Pacific will now test your cholesterol level when you donate blood, with results available after seven days.

Every donor can now access his/her “total cholesterol” results via a secure website, linked to ours. Simply visit our homepage, www.bloodcenters.org, seven days after your blood donation to retrieve your results.

Click here for Questions and Answers About Cholesterol Testing

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Last Chance to Join the All Star Game Raffle

It's a once in a lifetime chance!

Donate blood by July 7 at any Blood Centers of the Pacific location or blood drive, and get your chance to receive a pair of tickets to the biggest game to hit the Bay Area - the All Star game at AT&T Park in San Francisco on July 10!

Be a Blood Donor All Star! Visit www.bloodcenters.org for more information.

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Tell Us What Snacks You Want

Help BCP get healthier! Based on feedback from donors that they would like canteen snacks to be lower in sugar and fat, BCP is looking to revamp its selection. As a donor, we value your opinion, so we'd like your help by answering a few brief questions in our survey. It'll only take a couple of minutes! We look forward to hearing from you.

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Ben's Story

November 3, 1998, was a typical autumn day in the Bay Area. Temperature in the fifties, overcast, with scattered precipitation. The weather was appropriate for the McGovern Family. Their mood was overcast as Patrick and Therese McGovern waited for information relating to their young son, Benjamin.

Ben McGovern (only two and one half years old) had not been feeling well and had recently had tests performed to see what the problem might be. Ben was finally disagnosed with Megakaryoblastic Leukemia by doctors at the local hospital.
Megakaryoblastic Leukemia? Leukemia - most people know what has something to do with the blood. What does Megakaryoblastic mean? More importantly, what did it mean for Ben? “There was less than a 10 percent chance of survival.” What could be done? The best change would be if a bone marrow donor could be found quickly.

As word traveled, hundreds of people responded. Churches and Rotary Clubs throughout the area announced blood and bone marrow drives. Local papers covered the response, and by the end of December, close to 2,500 people had gone to the blood bank or had signed up as potential bone marrow donors.

Unfortunately, all the chemotherapy had left Benjamin too sick to undergo a bone marrow transplant. In spite of all the efforts, all the thoughts, prayers, blood and tears, Ben was sent home on New Year’s Eve, 1998. Nothing more could be done for Ben.

There are many other stories like Ben’s needing blood and/or a bone marrow transplant.
To read more patient stories, please click here.

To donate blood, please visit www.bloodcenters.org.
And to sponsor a church, company and/or organization summer blood drive, please call 1-888-393-4483 ext. 669.

(Source: www.walkingforben.org)

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September is Leukemia & Lymphoma Awareness Month

It is a disease that affects all ages and genders. Leukemia is a malignant disease of the bone marrow and blood that is characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), about 32 percent of cancers in children ages 0 to 14 years are leukemia.

Lymphoma is a general term for a group of cancers that originate in the lymphatic system, and can be divided into two major categories: Hodgkin lymphoma and all other lymphomas, called non-Hodgkin lymphomas. According to the LLS, about 56 percent of blood cancers that occur each year are lymphomas.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. Its mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

For more information on leukemia and lymphoma, please click here.
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BCP Wishes All Our Blood Donors a Happy and Safe July 4th!

Donate Blood. Save Lives. | 1-888-393-GIVE | www.bloodcenters.org

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