The University of Oregon hosted a blood drive in partnership with BloodWorks on Oct. 19 to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Along with hosting another ongoing virtual blood drive to support UO’s fraternity and sorority life, BloodWorks is highlighting the importance of donating blood to support cancer treatment and other lifesaving procedures.
BloodWorks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing blood donations throughout the Pacific Northwest. According to its website, it provides donations to 95% of hospitals in the PNW with the help of 230,000 registered donors. BloodWorks collects about 900 vials of blood daily through a network of donation centers and pop-ups. It has been serving the West coast for over 70 years.
The Pacific Northwest saw an increased demand for blood donations, requiring BloodWorks to issue an emergency appeal to fill 2,000 empty donation appointments in an effort to strengthen the blood and platelet supplies needed by trauma, surgery and cancer patients.
According to the American Red Cross, each donation of blood can save up to three lives. Every two seconds, someone in the United States is in need of blood.
Debra Beck, executive director of University Health Services, said UHS provides students with education on how to perform self-exams for breast cancer through wellness visits and how to follow up with concerns. She said blood drives play an important part in providing care to those in need.
“Blood drives are integral to providing lifesaving care to people throughout the U.S.,” Beck said. “It is an essential component to support surgeries, cancer treatments, life threatening emergencies, trauma and chronic illnesses.”
Blood drives help support Breast Cancer Awareness Month by providing transfusions typically needed for cancer patients, TK SOURCE said. According to Cancer.org, cancer patients may need transfusions due to the nature of their illness, which can cause internal bleeding, or due to treatment for their illness — such as destruction of red blood cell-producing bone marrow through chemotherapy radiation.
BloodWorks Community Engagement Liaison Mark Smith said he expected the Oct. 19 blood drive to accumulate 40-plus donations from UO students and faculty. He said a victim of an automobile accident could require up to 50 units of blood to recover from injury and it’s important to donate blood.
“The goal is to let people know that blood is always needed,” Smith said. “My goal is to get that word out, as well as to find places that are convenient for people to go and donate blood.”
Smith said BloodWorks hopes to host a spring blood drive on the UO campus for students who couldn’t attend the fall pop-up event.
“As we’re navigating through COVID, our goal is to have a regular cadence here on campus,” Smith said.
Touching on the importance of donating blood, Smith said the work BloodWorks does for the community is integral.
“BloodWorks provides 100% of the blood to Lane County,” Smith said. “If someone needs blood, it’s BloodWorks that provides that blood to those people.”
One of the many people supported by BloodWorks donations is director of fraternity and sorority life Caitlin Roberts. In the Bloodworks 101 podcast BloodWorks released Oct. 19, Roberts talked about her experience with blood donation as a survivor of domestic violence.
Roberts recounted the story of her 2019 attack by a former partner just days before Christmas. She said, without the help of blood donations, she wouldn’t be alive today.
“I am so grateful to the people who donate,” Roberts said in the podcast. “If I had not been able to receive blood, I would not have survived.”
Roberts said the six days she spent in the hospital following her attack weren’t what she had planned for the holidays, but the experience gave her a new mission in her life.
“Even laying in the hospital, I just felt like I have a new mission in life now,” Roberts said. “It’s to help women in domestic violence situations and also to help people who need blood donations or can give blood donations and encouraging that.”
The current BloodWorks virtual drive is being held in her honor as a way for donors to support those in need of blood — especially during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is also observed in October. The virtual drive allows donors to support Roberts and fraternity and sorority life by providing the code “FSL” upon donation at any BloodWorks donation site.
Roberts said her mission to help those in need is ongoing, and she urged those who are able to donate blood to do so.
“Absolutely give blood or plasma if you can, and be good to each other,” Roberts said.
