By Stephanie Dunn Ashley
Loyal readers of this column will know that I am a lifelong blood donor, and proud of it. But people may not know why I choose to donate blood so often.
When I was a child, I had a younger brother. For five years, I watched him battle against childhood leukemia before he passed away. The impact that other peoples’ blood had on my brother’s life, those moments of joy with him and our family that I will always treasure – no matter how faint those memories may now be – is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
One of the challenges with undergoing chemotherapy is that bone marrow function is suppressed, which impacts the body’s creation of platelets. This makes it harder for blood to clot, increasing the risk of prolonged bleeding and spontaneous internal bleeding. Receiving a transfusion of platelets is one of the quickest, most effective way to restore platelet counts to safe levels.
September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which is a time for us to honor the courage of young patients battling against cancer and to support their fight. Thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer each year, and they may need blood products on a regular basis during chemotherapy, surgery or treatment for complications.
The difficulties of experiencing childhood cancer are hard for me to think about. Every time I look at my two beautiful, healthy daughters – I am so grateful that we never had to go through such an ordeal with them. But I think most of us know someone who has had cancer, whether in childhood or as an adult, and I cannot understate how cathartic it can be to donate blood or platelets in their honor.
Here in Greenwich, at the Jill and John Coyle Blood Donor Center, we are lucky to have the ability to go an extra mile when we donate blood by making a platelet donation. These vital parts of our blood play a critical role in the treatment of people fighting cancer and other chronic diseases, but they must be used within five days of donation. However, you can safely donate platelets every seven days, up to 24 times per year, which is more frequent than the 56 days you need to wait between whole blood donations. The need for blood is constant, but it is especially so when it comes to platelets.
I have donated platelets myself, and I will admit it was a little intimidating at first. While a whole blood donation is pretty straightforward, a platelet donation is a little more complicated. It takes more time, as your platelets are separated from the rest of your blood and the remaining blood components are returned back into your body. But at our state-of-the-art facility, the whole experience is really pretty comfortable – there are even televisions at each donor chair, and you can load up your favorite show or movie to watch while you are helping save lives.
It has never been easier to donate platelets, something you can now do six days a week right here in our own community – with early morning and weekend hours available to best fit your schedule. Appointments can be made through the Red Cross Blood Donor app, at RedCrossBlood. org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. You can even schedule an appointment using Amazon Alexa if that’s what you want to do – just ask Alexa to find a blood drive!
So this September, roll up your sleeves – both of them – and make a platelet donation. I can tell you firsthand, the time sitting in that chair flies by as you think about what your donation means to people who are fighting cancer with every last ounce of energy they have. Greenwich has always been a town of compassion and care, so let’s come together to support our youngest fighters.
Stephanie Dunn Ashley, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross, Metro New York North Chapter.
