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Marc Piscotty for nbcnews.com
Tyler MacLeod, 27, of Denver, Colo. flashes a smile to donor technician Diane Cain of Lakewood, Colo. while donating blood at Bonfils Blood Center in Denver, Colo. in the wake of the Century 16 Movie Theater shootings at the Aurora Town Center in Aurora, Colo.
Anguished Colorado residents flooded local blood centers after Friday’s deadly theater shooting, eager to open their veins to help the injured recover in area hospitals.
“I just felt horrible all day yesterday and I just wanted to do something,” said Kevin Emery, 20, of Estes Park, Colo. “I figured with [70] people shot, they’d need blood.”
But Emery and other donors were asked to postpone their blood draws after officials at the Bonfils Blood Center, the region’s largest, collected 630 units, more than twice the 300 units they sent from existing supplies to area critical care centers.
“We were turning lots of people away and scheduling them for future donation appointments,” said Tiffany Anderson, a Bonfils spokeswoman. “Right now we are encouraging donors to give blood in the weeks ahead and throughout the year.”
The flood highlights what Anderson and others say is the “mixed blessing” of such crises for blood centers.
On one hand, they’re indebted to the human urge to help. On the other hand, they don’t want to collect so much blood that it might go to waste.
The dilemma is common to many disasters. After the 9/11 terror attacks volunteers lined up at every blood center in the country, said Dr. Louis Katz, executive vice president of medical affairs for the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center in Davenport, Iowa.
But much of that blood expired before the 42-day window in which it could be used, despite efforts by blood experts across the U.S. to transport it to areas where it was needed most.
“It’s a really hard line to walk,” Katz said. “We don’t like to discourage people from giving to the welfare of others. “
But, he added:
Marc Piscotty for nbcnews.com
Laura Jackson, 27, of Denver, Colo. squeezes a heart as she donates blood, July 21, at Bonfils Blood Center in Denver, Co.
“Our worst nightmare is to waste the resource.”
About 17.2 million units of blood are collected in the U.S. each year, and about 15 million units are transfused, according to figures from the AABB, a coalition that advances blood transfusion and cellular therapies. Nearly 11 million donors give blood each year, including about 3.1 million first-timers.
Many of those donors don’t realize that, in times of tragedy, the blood that goes directly to the sick and injured is the blood that’s already on hand, Katz said.
“It’s the blood on the shelves that saves lives,” he said.
For instance, in Aurora, the blood used to help treat the 58 injured people, including some in critical condition, was donated earlier in the week, Anderson said.
But many overestimate how much blood may be needed. Past tragedies such as the Kansas City Skywalk collapse, the Oklahoma City bombing and the Columbine High School shootings required between 105 and 131 units of blood to treat all the victims, Katz said. The 9/11 disaster required 600 units of blood.
Using those metrics, the Aurora shootings would use perhaps 150 units of blood, Katz estimated. "It's just not that much," he said.
Bonfils alone needs about 3,000 units each week to meet the need for transfusions, organ and bone marrow transplants, cancer therapies and trauma, such as auto accidents or shootings.
But disaster donors may be fickle. They sign up to donate in the emotion of the moment, but the momentum often doesn’t last.
“We get people who schedule and then don’t come in as the acuity of the situation changes,” Katz said.
Research shows that only a fraction of first-time disaster donors actually become regular contributors of blood, he added.
Marc Piscotty for nbcnews.com
The American and Colorado state flag fly at half mast in honor of the victims of the Aurora theater shootings outside the Bonfils Blood Center.
But those who do help provide a vital service that continues long after crises such as the theater shooting are resolved. The American Red Cross has been appealing for blood donations since Memorial Day, partly because of the summer slump in donations caused by vacations and nice weather.
Anderson and others hope that local blood donors inspired by the tragedy will come back next week or next month.
“I made an appointment for July 31,” said Emery, who admitted he was a little disappointed not to be able to donate directly to the victims of the theater shooting.
“But if they’re going to be needing it, I’m looking at the bigger picture,” he said. “Even if my blood doesn’t go to the victims here, it’ll go to someone who can use it.”
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Leave a Comment:
It looks to me that Laura Jackson of Denver needs to do something with her nails...
Shallow!
I donated after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the Charleston SC blood bank in '89. I stood in line for hours with Doctors and Nurses like me who were doing the same thing. I made it though about 6 PM and then was told by the tech taking my blood, "Oh, we don't need the blood, we will harvest the platelets and sell the rest." I sincerely hope the policy has changed, but I doubt it.
That's because blood collection is run as a for profit business and all the "donated" blood ends up being sold as whole blood,platelets or plasma. The products are all needed everyday day but the running of it as a for profit irks me some what.
It also bothers me that don't tell people that are selling the blood. I know they need blood and have given many times but was annoyed when I found that out.
And the money needed to pay for the collection, testing, processing, storage and shipment of blood products, along with the labor, materials and regulatory oversight should come from where, exactly? It's called operating revenue, and it's how non-profits like blood banks function.
its not a surprise that so many people in colo step up to do the right thing!
It really depends.
Are they selling it to make a profit off your donation, or are they selling it in order to pay the bills? Technicians don't work for free, and then there is the rent of the office space, utilities, maintenance of the equipment and storage facilities, etc.
It isn't cheap to run a blood bank, and the money to pay for all that has to come from somewhere.
Now, if they were selling it for pure profit, then I'd have an issue with it.
As a long time blood donor I would ask that people give regularly to ensure a steady supply. Don't do it just to feel good. Do it because it's the right thing to do. I do it four times a year.
i, too, am a long time blood donor (over 25 years). i am B+ so Bonfils prefers my platelets (they are in greater need). i donated today on my regularly scheduled every other week Saturday and the center was filled. however, they were not taking walk-in due to the over abundance of people wanting to donate (which is a good thing). i hope those folks return to donate later in the week.
i also learned today that platelets are only good for 5 days. i'm happy to go every other Saturday (2x a month) and spend a few hours. it's so important. and not just for the victims in my state ... but for everyone. you never know when you might need lifesaving blood or platelets.
Donors are fickle? These donor centers now require you to schedule an appointment to come donate. What's with that? And Bonfils in Denver is the worst of the worst that way.
Years back, when I could just pop in & donate, I'd do it. But good grief. Many of us work for a living. Who wants to stand on one foot & maybe they'll give you the privilege of taking your blood if it suits THEM.
If they treat donors like this, they don't deserve any blood. Screw 'em.
It's not just appointments either. Their blood standards are way too finicky. When I was put on a heart medicine to counter the side effect of another medicine, all of a sudden their guidelines decided my heart was too sick for donations. Get off the medicine, my heart's acceptable again. Then for over a decade I've been ineligible to donate because they don't like my iron level. My doctor thinks it's a healthy level. I've got a needed blood type. I'm overweight, so I've got enough blood to fill two normal bodies, so there's plenty to spare, but no, 10.7 g/dL is enough to deny some poor soul some needed blood.
@Demoblat - my center still takes walk ins, but setting an appointment insures that you are going to get to donate. there is nothing wrong with that. Bonfils is NOT like you describe at all. i've been donating for over 25 years and have NEVER had a problem. ever.
@Krystyn1 - i don't know about you, but i'm glad they are finicky. i would be comforted to know that they screen heavily. the standards that they set are also to protect you. why complain when they are trying to keep you and the recipient safe?
Recently, I spotted a convenient donor drive in a shopping mall on a weekend & ponied up to give. They didn't want my blood as I'd been in Haiti on a medical relief mission within the past year. Even though I'd been on antimalarials the whole time & for a month after, I understood.
However, until I find a donor center that respects MY TIME as a donor, I will not give. After all, who is doing a service for whom here? What am I gaining?
demoblat,
Donate because it is the right thing to do, not because you want someone to pat you on the back, call you a saint, give you a free T-shirt and tell you you're awesome in bed. Sometimes doing the right thing takes a little effort.
@demoblat, the reason they want you to set up an appointment:
Setting up appointments is no different than making an appointment with your doctor. It's about ensuring you are seen promptly when you show up. Meaning, it's about NOT WASTING YOUR TIME in a waiting room.
Or, would you prefer the walk-in method, where there may be a long wait, in which case you've wasted 45+ minutes sitting in the waiting room, as opposed to being able to show up for your appointment and getting it done within minutes of arriving?
2nd, blood banks operate on a limited budget, so if they are open all day with few walk-ins, they've wasted a lot of money just sitting around. Instead, they have limited "walk-in" hours of operation, and use appointments to plan which days they can be opened all day without wasting money.
But then, you are too selfish to think beyond your own immediate needs...
I gave blood for a lot of years until i was told my O-neg blood was no good anymore. I was stationed in Germany in the 1980's and now can no longer can give...... they are worried about MAD COW.
I think if I had it it would have showed up in the last 30 years?
WTF
ZZ2u ditto lived in Scotland and had been donating for years when they suddenly added that and had to stop. Its a shame as i have a rare blood type.
I tried to donate blood when I got back from a middle east deployment. The 1st Sargeant had announced at morning formation that anyone donation blood would get a three day (pass) weekend (fri, sat, sun). I signed up immediately but they told us at noon formation that anyone who had just got back from the middle east could not give blood. They added that we could not give blood for 2 years because we had taken malaria pills prior , during and after our deployment. They said our blood could be possibly tainted. So I spent my second week back from the middle east on detail mopping, waxing and buffing the CQ area while the noobs that just out of boot camp got a three day weekend. Yeah... whoever said life was fair?
For those of you who donate THANK YOU! Because of you my father, got to spend one last Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family. He got to walk me down the aisle at my wedding and be at my sisters graduation. Because of you he got to spend a few more month with his grandchildren.
My father had a very rare form of cancer and the blood you donated was spun down and those platelets were giving to him weekly. They helped him survive chemo long enough to spend time with his family.
He was also , himself, a faithful blood donor.
thank you all, we have never forgotten the gift so many gave my father and his family.
The plain and simple fact is that blood is BIG business. The Red Cross is nothing more than a front for big business to get something for free and sell it for HUGE bucks. And on top of that whole blood is really never the best solution. Don't forget that your body sees blood as an organ and you risk rejection on top of the fact of thousands of people who die each year by receiving the wrong blood type or tainted blood. Look up the facts on transfusion risks. Don't be an uniformed consumer. If your surgeon sais you will need a transfusion for surgery, look for another surgeon, the one you have in this day and age that sais that is quite likely incompetent or poorly trained. It's YOUR life.
jim pnw
Mind pointing out a citation on where you find THOUSANDS of people died EACH year?
What I can find shows less than 300 transfusion related deaths in a 4 year period.
Nothing wrong with a second opinion but some surgeries do require a transfusion, or at least there is the possibility of that need. If it is elective, or semi elective, surgery one can always auto transfuse (donate their own blood ahead of the surgery for a few weeks). The people in Colorado didn't exactly have much choice did they?
I'd be happy to donate blood regularly if I could find somewhere to do it besides the Red Cross...I donated a few times and made the mistake of giving them my phone number. I once received 8 calls on a Saturday, starting at 8AM! I tell them to stop calling, the calls stop for a few months then start right back up.
Tell them you are HIV positive... They'll leave you alone.
I could not give blood this summer because I had been to a country with malaria in the past year. However, the minute I am eligible to give blood, I will because it's the right thing to do.
Give blood, don't give blood we don't need it today go away and come back another day...sheesh I have an RH Factor in my blood which I know they want but I'm not gonna stand in line in 110 plus degrees to have them tell me to come another day, Probably not a good article to run.
I have received a blood transfusion after a routine surgery took 2 hours longer than normal due to unforseen circumstances - please people continue to give blood, I cannot but would if I could - yes the centres need money to run so please dont complain about that just think of the wonderful things that YOUR blood can acheive READ the wonderful post by CM870009 - and see WHY it is so important to give if you can and THANK YOU ALL
Much Love!!
A random act of kindness and compassion. There is hope for the human race after all!
In Delaware we have a nice blood bank that provides free blood to members families. I have donated nearly 2 gallons and it is a minor effort to donate. It only involves a little needle prick. I feel like I have helped someone after I donate. The membership is only $10 a year so some of the blood or platelets may be sold to support the organization but those items still help others.I would rather see it sold then to expire and be wasted. Blood units are expensive so being a member is a win/win situation. You help your family and you help others. I am a little bit squeamish about needles so I do not watch the needle. If I can donate, so can you. I am also signed up to be an organ donor. Give life, give love, give blood.
I wish they could have 'half unit' donations that would be given to infants...
I am only 4'9, so weighing 85 pounds knocks me right out of ever being to donate, either blood or plasma and I really wish I could donate. Oh well, less than a year before I can try again to sign onto the bone marrow registry, but they might deny me again-and this time for life...
Music you mentioned something else people might consider, and that is the bone marrow registry. It isn't that hard to get onto and it literally can save someone's life. Unlike the blood supply, you as a donor can be the one match in the country that gives another person that second chance at life.Quite an amazing thought when a person thinks about it. While we are talking about saving lives, people should think about becoming donors when they pass away. It's easy to have a driver's license clearly marked and over a dozen lives can be saved. Talk about being a true hero.
I used to donate whole blood, then switched to platelets as they were in more demand. Over the years I'd have low iron at times and they'd hand me the give away, say thanks for coming in and send me on my way without donating. I'm on aspirin therapy now for a heart attack and have had cancer so they told me not to bother coming in anymore. I don't see that as unreasonable at all. When the 9/11 attacks happened I didn't have to decide whether to donate or not because I just had and it was too soon to donate again, for all I know they used MY donation for some of those people since it was already on hand.
There are several instances here of people complaining about blood donation because they do not have all the facts:
1) "They don't want my blood because I (lived in Germany), (got a tattoo), (was in prison), (have low iron), (don't weigh enough) etc.
Deferral criteria for blood donation is set by the FDA, NOT by individual blood centers. These criteria are there to ensure the safety of our blood supply and donors. As a result, Americans enjoy the safest blood supply in the world and very, very few donors are harmed. Get over yourselves people...if you can not donate blood, how about time or money?
2) Blood Products are sold for profit.
Blood and blood products are sold for money, because money is what pays the bills.
The difference between a for-profit entity and a not-for-profit entity is where the "profit" goes...for-profit earnings go to the owner / shareholders. Not-for-profit earnings go BACK INTO THE ORGANIZATION for its benefit. Period. They both buy, sell, have margins, bills, payroll, etc. For those of you who are shocked that blood centers "sell" blood products, you obviously have no clue how a business is run. Lastly, no sane businessperson would ever sell blood for-profit because the margin is almost nothing. Blood is a pharmaceutical product which is manufactured in highly specialized labs by highly trained people in an unbeliveably regulated environment. It's expensive!
3) I should be able to donate anytime...they should always want my blood, etc.
Blood centers are trying to be responsible with these precious donations. Platelets last 5 days, whole blood about 42 days. Inventory balancing and appropriate use of blood products is a tremendously difficult task and is key to effectively using your donation. Would you rather they "bag it and burn it" like the ARC did after 9/11?
4) How you can help
Become a REGULAR blood / plasma / platelet donor, get on the organ / tissue / bone marrow donation registry and support you local blood center.