Idahoans turn out
for post-attack blood drive
By MATT
SMYLIE
Express Staff Writer
Braving
gusty winds and long lines, a number of Wood River Valley residents
traveled south last Wednesday to donate blood at the Jerome Community
Blood Drive.
Tammy
Damron, right, an RMA for American Red Cross of Greater Idaho,
prepares Jerome resident Maggie Mihlfried for a blood donation
Thursday afternoon. Express photo by Matt Smylie
Scheduled
months ago, but made more relevant by the attacks Sept. 11 on the World
Trade Center and Pentagon, people from all over Southcentral Idaho turned
out for the blood drive, which takes place in Jerome four or five times a
year.
"But
this has been exceptionally busy," said Sharan Pike, mobile
supervisor for the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho. "Everybody
wants to do their part."
As part of
a group of eight people that constantly travels as far north as
Grangeville and into southeast Oregon, Pike said she was excited when her
group entered the St. Jerome Catholic Parish to see someone had places a
flag on one of the walls.
"I
thought that was very cool," she said.
After each
day’s blood drive, Pike said the donations are couriered to Boise, where
they are processed and then normally distributed to Idaho hospitals. With
each donation’s ability to save three lives, blood collected in Idaho
can be shipped to other parts of the nation, but such a transfer is rare,
she said.
The larger
number of people turning up at blood drives after the terrorist attacks is
not unique to Idaho, Pike said, with reports of the Red Cross having to
turn back would-be donors across the nation.
And because
red blood cells can last for only 42 days, and plasma (which is frozen) a
year, Pike said those who haven’t given blood yet may want to wait a
month or so until the need arises again.
The rush to
give blood right after the attack, Pike said, was likely because of the
impulse to help the wounded in New York and Washington, D.C.
"They
had anticipated a lot of injured, but instead they had lots of
casualties," she said.
Bellevue
resident Eric Muro said he has been donating blood for about 40 years, and
that it makes him feel like a larger part of the community.
"For a
half hour of my time, I get the reassurance that my blood is going to
someone who really needs it," he said. "And that makes it all
worthwhile."
Melissa
Benkula, a first-time donor from Jerome, said she was convinced to donate
a pint of blood after seeing the dead and injured in New York on
television.
"I’m
a rare blood type, so I can help those that others can’t," she
said.
Regardless
of whether her blood will be administered to a victim of the attack,
Benkula said last week’s event have changed how secure U.S. citizens
feel.
"I
think that thing in New York has had a profound impact on everyone’s
lives, whether they’re here in the United States or overseas," she
said.
Although
this was her first time donating blood as well, Wendell resident Megan
Landers said she had signed up for the drive two days before the
tragedies.
"I’d
signed up three times before, but this is the first time I actually did
it," she said. "It’s a really good feeling, and I’m signing
up for the next one right after this."
Sun Valley
resident James Koda said he was able to take off from work early to give
blood, and didn’t mind the drive to and from Jerome.
"It
really doesn’t take much of an effort to do this, and the result is much
more worthwhile than whatever else I’d be doing this afternoon," he
said.
Since
retiring several years ago, Jerome resident Betty Hyder said she’s been
a volunteer at every blood drive in Jerome.
"It’s
a nice thing to volunteer for, because people have a positive attitude
when they come in," she said.
Adding two
hours to the blood drive allowed for more donations, but still wasn’t
enough, Hyder said.
"The
regulars came in as usual, but there were many new faces from all
around," she said. "There’s been walk-ins we’ve had to turn
down because we were so heavily booked. But there’s always next
time."
Sun Valley blood
drive
Where: The Hailey
Armory
When: Oct. 16
from 1 to 6 p.m.
For more
information or to make an appointment: Call Connie Porter at 788-3490.