Volume 23
Number 25
December 14, 2012
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Tis the Season to
Give
Do you donate blood? If you’re like the majority of Americans — more than 90 percent — the answer is no. Most people don’t think about it in their busy lives. Or they feel someone else will take up the slack. Unfortunately that’s not the case. And yet, someone in this country needs blood every two seconds. HUP patients alone use an average of 160 units of blood products every day. Debbie Mincarelli, administrative director of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, didn’t donate routinely. “I was personally terrified of needles,“ she said. But that all changed in 2008 when her then 5-year old son was diagnosed with cancer.
“During his first battle he received 43 weeks of chemotherapy combined with eight weeks of proton therapy. After he relapsed nine short months after finishing his first regime, he began a second battle where he endured the equivalent of 60 weeks of chemotherapy combined with six weeks of traditional radiation. Then six short months later, he relapsed again and received another 16 weeks of chemotherapy.
INSIDE Taking Time Out to Talk...........2 From West Philadelphia to Haiti........................................2 Roundtable. ................................3 Why We Do What We Do.........3 Free Skin Cancer Screening......................3 No Wedding Bell Blues, Thanks PartnerstoinGroup Rehab.Effort.............3 .....................4
`` Debbie Mincarelli with her son Nick in 2010.
“Over those three and a half years, Nick needed countless transfusions. We relied on the generosity of strangers to support us, “ she continued. Nick earned his “angel wings” this past March. Most patients who receive blood never have the opportunity to tell donors how much they have helped. At a special donor recognition event sponsored by the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center, Debbie did. “You gave Nick 3 ½ more years to build Legos and four more Halloweens. You gave Nick’s brother 3 ½ more years to play Marco Polo in the pool and build sandcastles at the beach with his brother,” she said. “You gave me 3 ½ more years of the best hugs a mother could ever imagine.”
Can You Spare 10 Minutes?
Donating blood is easy. In fact, the actual donation part for whole blood only takes about 10 minutes. Your body will replace the donated blood within one month. People can safely donate blood every two months. Donated blood is tested and then divided into its components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. In this way, one unit of blood can help save the lives of three people. Platelets are essential to patients undergoing bone marrow transplantations or receiving many forms of chemotherapy. A drop in their platelet count makes them susceptible to life-threatening bleeding. And, while red blood cells can be kept for up to six weeks, platelets are viable for only five days. As a result, it’s crucial to keep the supply coming. (Continued on page 2)
Heartfelt Thanks........................4 Shortakes...................................4
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