My son Euan turns 4 today. He wants a Batmobile, some books and a crystal for his birthday. He doesn’t really understand yet, but he got his best present earlier this month from someone he’s never met: a blood donor who saved his life through an unselfish, though simple, act.
Euan was born with spherocytosis, a rare genetic disorder that affects the red blood cells. Seen under a microscope, they look like little basketballs rather than doughnuts, as they should. Recently, his spleen became confused and began destroying his red blood cells.
My wife and I have been waiting for this to happen. Both of our sons have this disorder (my donation to their genetic makeup), and the doctors had warned us to watch for a blood crisis. The signs were a pale complexion, stomach aches and a general lack of energy. They’re the same symptoms my parents saw in me at a young age, and which led to my own life-saving blood transfusion.
Concerned after several worrisome nights of Euan telling us his tummy hurt, we took him to see our family physician, where they drew his blood for tests. The next evening, the doctor called to say we needed to bring him to the emergency room at The Children’s Hospital in Denver because his blood count didn’t look right. At Children’s, they took some more blood, and said he needed to be admitted.
Several hours and blood draws later, the doctors decided he was having a crisis and needed a transfusion. This is where our anonymous hero entered the picture, and Euan received a pint of donated blood.
Around 4 a.m., he finally slept, his veins coursing with the healthy blood of his benefactor. And within a couple of days, Euan was our energetic little boy again, almost as if all this had never happened.
This was a scary episode for our family, and grueling for Euan. But because there are people who are willing to regularly give a little of their time and a pint of their blood, there was a simple solution to a serious problem.
And here’s where you come in. Hospitals and blood banks are constantly in need of fresh donations. Donating blood is easy to do. “It’s one quick stick,” says Chris Hill, donor resource coordinator at Children’s. “And compared to what these kids go through, it’s not that bad.”
She has a point. Spend a long night in the hematology ward of Children’s Hospital, like we did earlier this month, and the suffering there will break your heart. There is no comparison.
What’s more, it doesn’t take long to donate blood – just 10 minutes for a pint, says Julie Scott, spokeswoman for Bonfils Blood Center, which provides 80 percent of the state’s blood supply.
Bonfils collects 217,000 units of blood products (which includes plasma and platelets) each year, and every drop of it comes from volunteers. The center likes to keep a seven- to 10-day supply on hand, so it can be prepared to support Denver and surrounding areas in case of a natural disaster or even a terrorist attack. That means it needs 4,350 blood donations a week.
But supplies run low at certain times of the year, mainly the summer and the holidays, when people are on vacation and are too busy to give.
To remind people of the need to donate, Bonfils is starting its annual summer drive this week. The center is holding an event Tuesday in Lakewood to introduce 26- year-old Denver Haslam to nearly 40 of the donors who helped save his life after a serious skiing accident in 2003. Haslam, who had to be airlifted to St. Anthony Central Hospital and given 130 pints of blood during the course of his treatment, has since become a blood donor himself.
The fear of needles is the No. 1 reason people don’t become blood donors. Convenience is another. And while there isn’t much that can be done about the needles, both Bonfils and Children’s do try to make it convenient to give blood. Bonfils has nine donor centers in Colorado – seven in the metro area – and Children’s accepts donations at its downtown location. Bonfils holds blood drives around the state, sends buses into the community (as does Children’s), and is willing to come to your business, school, church or other gathering place.
For locations and times, and to schedule a donation, call Bonfils Blood Center at 303-363-2300 or 800-365-0006, or go to bonfils.org. To make a donation directly to Children’s, call 303-861-6283.
Your donation can save a life. I have proof. He’s the one with chocolate frosting on his face.
Cohen Peart (cpeart@denverpost.com) is The Denver Post’s letters editor.
