Blood Bank Official Says
College Community is “Capable” of Strong Donor Turnout
By Adrienne Hoffmann & Elizabeth Riedel
Wayne Stater Staff Writers
One Donation of blood saves three lives.
Wayne State Student - April Groteluschen donates!
Photo by: Lois Brunnert - Wayne State College
On September 22-23, 2008, when the Siouxland Community Blood Bank came to Wayne, 294 lives were saves, with 98 units of blood collected. Out of the 115 people that registered, 38 were first-time donors.
The Siouxland Community Blood Bank would like to thank the heroes who registered to donate at the Wayne State College Blood Drive and congratulates those who reached gallon milestones. Joseph Schreiner, Cody Uldrich, Megan Hogmire and Jamie Wickham have all donated one gallon, and Andrew Anderson has donated a total of two gallons.
Misty Rystrom, a junior at WSC, gave blood for the first time at the Student Center last month.
“It was nerve-wracking, but I’m glad I did it because I contributed to helping people who need blood. I encourage anyone who’s never given blood to go for it. It’s for a good cause,” Rystrom said.
When people lose blood or can’t make enough, there is no way for the body to replenish it. Volunteer blood donors are the only source for the blood that’s needed. Every two seconds, someone needs blood. More than 23 million units of blood components are transfused each year.
Many people may be uncomfortable about giving blood because they think that there are risks involved. Giving blood is 100 percent safe. The needles are sterile, and the nurses are highly trained professionals. Of the U.S. population, 37 percent is medically eligible to donate blood; however, only 5 percent actually does.
There are also people who are skeptical about giving blood because they feel it goes to waste because it gets thrown away when not used. On the contrary, because the demand for blood is so high, a minimal amount of blood goes unused.
Platelets have a shelf life of five days, plasma can be frozen for at least six months and red blood cells live for about 42 days. Blood can last longer than most expect.
The blood donated at WSC is transferred to the Siouxland Community Blood Bank, where it will be used by 37 surrounding hospitals including Providence Medical Center in Wayne. Providence gets all of its blood from the Siouxland Community Blood Bank and has been receiving it since 1975.
“I really want to stress our relationship with Providence Medical Center. With Providence being so close to the college, it’s kind of a nice way for the campus and community to feel that connection,” Jamie Wickham of the Siouxland Community Blood Bank said.
To qualify as a donor, a person must be at least 16 years old with a parental consent form, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good general health and have a valid photo ID. The process of donating takes about an hour, but the actual drawing of blood usually lasts ten minutes. On average, one pint of blood is collected.
"Mixed reactions to donating blood"
Photos taken by Lois Brunnert - Wayne State College
“When Needed Most, Blood Donor Receives Gift of Life”
By Elizabeth Reidel
WSC alumnus Theresa Sedivy was in a car accident at the beginning of last summer. She was driving with her fiancé near Walnut, Iowa, and was about to make a left turn off of a highway.
Sedivy turned on her blinker, but the car behind her tried to pass on her left anyway. The other driver smashed into Sedivy’s driver’s side door.
Sedivy was then life-plighted to Creighton Medical Center in Omaha.
Two tubes where placed through both of her lungs that were collapsed, and one went through her heart. She had a bruised liver and needed emergency surgery to have her spleen removed. As a result of her severe injuries and blood loss, Sedivy was in a coma for a month.
Sedivy needed up to 24 units of blood, which is about double the amount that the average person carries in his or her body. A woman usually has about 10 pints, and a man has roughly 12.
“I lost more blood than I had in my body, and I wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t received those donations,” Sedivy said.
When Sedivy was released from the hospital, she had no memory for about a month and a half and was in a wheelchair for two months.
Last September, Sedivy took her first steps on her own since the accident. Last August she was only able to lift 27 pounds. Now, she can bench press up to 95 pounds.
Sedivy is now 29 years old and has been giving blood since she was 18.
