Archived Spotlight Items»
Tuesday, April 17»
Casey was born with a rare heart condition called supravalvular aortic stenosis. At three years old, he underwent open-heart surgery at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, requiring the use of blood transfusions. Today, he's an active and accomplished young man. Click here to read Casey's story.
Tuesday, April 3»
Thanks, Western Wheelers Bicycle Club, for your second successful center drive last week. Stanford Blood Center appreciates your support!
Left to right: Michael Khaw, Ron Dellaquila, Mindy Steiner,
Alan Wachtel & Edward Wesley
Friday, March 9»
On March 6, friends Roy Tuason and Erik Klein gave their 100th donations together at our Mountain View Center. Spouses, friends, and co-workers joined the duo to celebrate the milestone. Read more about Roy and Erik on our blog.
Monday, March 5»
San Jose Sharks fans are known for being dedicated and enthusiastic, but did you know that they're also charitable? Loyal Sharks supporters turned out in droves for the annual "Save a Life" blood drive on Saturday, March 3, donating a combined 295 units of blood.
Sharks goaltender Thomas Greiss meets with donors at
annual "Save a Life" drive.
Wednesday, February 29»
Thanks very much to Grant Rasor-Thompson and his brothers in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at San Jose State University for donating 13 much appreciated units at our Mountain View center last Saturday!
Monday, February 27»
After 12 year old Kevin Murphy received a heart transplant, his grateful parents wanted to hold a blood drive to celebrate Kevin's second chance at life. The drive was such a success, the family decided to make it a yearly event. On Saturday, the Murphy family hosted the third annual "Pay it Forward" blood drive and 66 units of blood were collected. A healthy Kevin, now 15, was on hand to greet donors.
Murphy family with Stanford Blood Center account manager Tim Gilmore
Tuesday, February 14»
Thanks to our loyal "Monday Morning Blood Bus" group for getting the week started right with their donations at Hillview this week!
Thursday, January 26»
Just three months before she passed away, Michelle Moskalik wrote a letter thanking blood donors for helping to improve her quality of life. Her family has graciously allowed us to share it. Click here to read.
Wednesday, January 25»
Thanks to "Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics" of Stanford University and "Doubters, Agnostics, Mythbusters & Nontheists" of DeAnza College for their 13-unit contribution to our inventory Saturday. It's much appreciated.
Pictured left to right: Catherine Zaw, James Grayson, Armand Rundquist,
Leonard Tramiel, Pooja Dagli, Joshua Loftus, & Maxwell Shapiro
Thursday, January 12»
Stanford Blood Center donors help to save lives in our community with each donation. Now donors can also help to save lives abroad.
A new option in our donor store allows donors to contribute points to improve the condition of blood centers in Nigeria. Click here for more information.
Friday, December 16»
Our Hillview center hosted the second "Bikers Out for Blood" blood drive & BBQ on December 3rd. Thanks to everyone who came out for the 40+ blood donations!
(Left to right: Molly Kilby, Cindi Staiger, Neal Herman, Steve Saeedi,
Ken Emerson, Bob Corman, & coordinator Dawn Chuck)
Wednesday, December 14»
Thanks to "The Donor Party - South Bay" for your third successful center drive at our Mountain View site.
Monday, December 12»
Stanford Blood Center would like to thank "Western Wheelers Bicycling Club" for the remarkable 18 donations made at the group's first center drive at Hillview last month.
Tuesday, December 6»
Stanford Blood Center would like to congratulate Pioneer High School on its record-breaking mobile blood drive yesterday. The San Jose school smashed its previous best by collecting 217 units, 34 more units than its prior high. An incredible 99 first-time donors turned out for the drive. Thanks for the support, Pioneer! We really appreciate it.
Friday, November 18»
Four in a row! On Wednesday, November 16, Stanford Blood Center won the annual "Rivals for Life" blood drive for the fourth straight year. Stanford supporters donated 231 units to Cal's 209. Of course, the patients in local hospitals are the real winners here. Thanks to everyone who turned out for your support!
Monday, November 7»
Who better to celebrate milestones with than family? On Friday, loyal donors and mother/daughter duo Dawn and Lauren Chuck each made their 100th donation at Stanford Blood Center. Dawn's husband, Marty, also got in on the action, making his first platelet donation. Thanks to the Chuck family for their continued support!
Tuesday, October 25»
Smile and say BOO! Donors at our Mountain View center on Halloween will have the chance to take fun holiday pictures in a photo booth generously provided by HopeLab, a local non-profit. Sweet treats and healthy alternatives will also be on hand. Click here to read our promotions page.
Friday, October 21»
Joe Montgomery, a bone marrow transplant recipient, has a message for Stanford Blood Center donors. Hear his words in this video, the latest from our "From the Heart" series:
Tuesday, October 11»
Lori Shoemaker, a dedicated Stanford Blood Center donor, was personally affected by blood donation when her mother needed heart surgery. Read her touching story on our blog.
Thursday, October 6»
Thanks to recruiter Savannah Whitney, The Donor Party - South Bay had 10 donors at our Mountain View center Monday night, including three who were making first-time donations. Thanks for the much-needed inventory boost, everyone!
Monday, October 3»
To celebrate her 60th birthday, Janet Silberman decided to give a gift to Stanford Blood Center. The gift came in the form of 40+ blood donations from friends, family, and Janet herself. Thanks to Janet and everyone who participated in the birthday celebration at Hillview! We appreciate your incredible generosity, and so do the hospitals and patients we serve.
(Left to right: Shana Howden, Kyle Howden, Nathan Silberman, Janet
Silberman, Josh Silberman and Abby Silberman)
Friday, September 30»
Once again, the "Monday Morning Blood Bus" faithfuls have given our inventory a boost. Many thanks for your donations!
(Left to right: Mary Sipher, Maura Hillegass, SBC volunteer Mimi Goodrich,
Martha Convissar, Kelly Matsuura and Carol Deacon)
Wednesday, September 28
Extra traffic near our Campus Donor Center»
Through October, our Campus Center on Welch Road may be affected by construction-related traffic congestion. This is an essential project related to the new Stanford Medical Center facilities.
Our Campus Center will remain open during the construction, but donors may find it easier to access our nearby Hillview Donor Center on Hillview Avenue in Palo Alto—it's fewer than five miles away and offers plenty of free parking.
View Stanford Blood Center Locations in a larger map
Tuesday, September 20»
On Saturday, the "Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics at Stanford" joined the "Doubters, Agnostics, Mythbusters & Nontheists at De Anza" for a joint center drive at our campus location. Thank you all for your much-needed support of the patients in our community hospitals!
(Pictured: Lewis Marshall)
Wednesday, September 14»
Did you make it to our "Giving Blood Works" career counseling event this week? This encore event was Stanford Blood Center’s way of giving back to donors who have donated blood and helped save the lives of patients in local hospitals. Read more on our blog»
Friday, September 2»
Kalin Kent, a bone marrow transplant survivor, has a message for Stanford Blood Center donors in this video from our "From the Heart" series:
Friday, August 26»
Over the next few months, we'll be rolling out a new series of videos called "From the Heart" where we connect blood donors and recipients. Jon Domke, featured in the first of the series, is a bone marrow transplant survivor with a special message for Stanford Blood Center donors:
Monday, August 22»
Brian Edwards had the bright idea of inviting his friends to his 300th donation recently, and it turned into a party. Great idea, Brian, and thanks!
(Left to right, front row: Brian Edwards & spouse Christine; back row: Daniel
Ponti, Paul Laustsen, Charge Nurse Bea Wang, and Registrar Jackie Light)
Thursday, August 18»
Our founder and medical director, Ed Engleman, has a long life and career to look forward to if he's anything like his dad. At more than 100 years old, Ephraim Engleman still works as a rheumatologist and plays the violin. He was recently featured on the "Making a Difference" segment of Nightly News with Brian Williams on NBC.
Tuesday, August 9»
Thanks to Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club for their donations at their inaugural center drive!
Left to right: Beth Schumann, Kim Lodwich & Heather Barbieri
(also featured: Heather's children, Marco and Riley)
Thursday, August 4»
On July 19, two members of our Collections staff - Cat Layson and Robert Manio - sprung into action when they heard a person nearby needed medical attention. Thank you, Rob and Cat! Stanford Blood Center is proud of your fearlessness, inspired by your dedication, and grateful for your service. Visit our blog to read their account.
Friday, July 22»
Thanks, Donor Party - South Bay, for holding a successful inaugural center drive at our Mountain View site! It was a very helpful boost to our summer inventory.
(Left to Right: Natalie Brand, Brian Healey, Heidi Winner,
William Finlayson & Savannah Whitney)
Wednesday, July 20»
Congratulations to Stanford Hospital & Clinics for being named one of the top 17 hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report. Stanford Hospital ranked among the Top 25 in 10 different specialties, including cancer and cardiology. Click here to read more.
Friday, July 15»
At seven years old, Brennah was severely injured in a head-on collision with a semi-trailer. During her stay at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Brennah underwent 22 procedures, including nine major surgeries, and received transfusions of frozen plasma and red blood cells. Today, Brennah is doing extremely well. She recently graduated from the eighth grade, where she received several academic awards and gave a speech at the ceremony.
A short excerpt from Brennah's speech: "In the stage play, Man of La Mancha, it tells us to dream the impossible dream...and truly, impossible dreams happen everyday because ordinary people -- and youth like us -- dream, hope, and work to achieve goals. If we have the courage and the work ethic to make our dreams a reality, then we can dare to do it."
Congratulations, Brennah!
Wednesday, July 13»
Thank you, Allscripts, for your highly successful, inaugural center drive at our Mountain View center.
(Front row, from left – Susan Simpson, Mary Serna, Kristina Underhill & Minali Patel; Back row, from left – Harold Brown, Cindy Dei Rossi, Jessica Campbell
& Aldine Whitfield)
Wednesday, July 6»
Twins Anabel and Isabel Stenzel, both lung-transplant recipients and friends of Stanford Blood Center, have recently started a boot camp workout class at Stanford for kidney, lung, and liver patients. Using exercise, they hope to help improve the quality of life for fellow organ transplant recipients. Read more about their efforts here.
AIDS screening: Stanford Blood Center’s pioneering role»
In 1983, Stanford was the first blood center to screen for AIDS contaminated blood. In today's blog post, Ed Engleman, MD, SBC’s founder and medical director, takes a look back at the role we played during that controversial time. Click here to read his post.
Tuesday, June 14»
Happy World Blood Donor Day! The theme this year, "More blood. More life.", reinforces the urgent and worldwide need for more regular, voluntaryblood donors. This picture is a great example of an effort to raise awareness surrounding this year's theme.
Friday, June 10»
Stanford Blood Center recently got an update about Maddie, a young blood recipient who underwent numerous surgeries to treat congenital cardiovascular defects. Maddie's doing well now and enjoying her summer vacation. From her mom, Wanda: "We have started this summer with a bang by staying the weekend at the Nickelodeon Hotel. Maddie was beside herself wanting to cram everything in one day! By the end of the night, poor thing was so tired; however, [she] would not fall asleep, thinking she was going to 'miss something'. That's my girl."
Maddie and SpongeBob SquarePants character
Patrick
at the Nickelodeon Hotel
Friday, June 3 »
Visit our Facebook page and in a line or two, tell us why YOU think giving is groovy! Please include a picture of yourself in one of our tie dye shirts. Each week during the run of the t-shirt promotion (now through 7/11/11), we’ll pick one of you to be the “Face of SBC”, using your picture as our profile image for the week . So post your pics on our wall, and we’ll pick the grooviest of them all!
Special Memorial Week Exhibit »
Pulitzer Prize For WWII Stories About Blood Donations
• Hillview Donor Center
• Now through Friday, June 3
As a blood donor himself, Jack McDowell often wondered about where the donated blood ended up. As a newspaper reporter in World War II, he got to find out.
In December 1944, McDowell was working for the San Francisco Call-Bulletin and traveled across the Pacific with a shipment of blood for wounded soldiers. The result was a series of articles that received the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Reporting.
Local residents will have the opportunity to view the Pulitzer and the original newspapers containing his stories — on loan from McDowell’s daughter, Judy McDowell — during the week following Memorial Day at the Stanford Blood Center. Read more»
Friday, May 27»
Congrats on your 100th, Roger!
Monday, May 23»
Thanks go out to the "Monday Morning Blood Bus" group for another successful blood drive at Hillview.
Left to right: Martha Convissar, Helen Hu, Maura Hillegass,
Carol Deacon & Kelly Matsuura
Wednesday, May 18»
In December 1944, San Francisco Call-Bulletin reporter Jack McDowell observed blood donors in San Francisco. He then traveled across the Pacific with a shipment of blood for wounded soldiers and relayed the stories of those who donated. His account of the experience won the Pulitzer Prize for Reporting. In the week following Memorial Day, Stanford Blood Center will proudly display both the Pulitzer Prize and the original article at our Hillview Center. Click here to read more.
Monday, May 16»
In just a few short weeks, Donor ID will be coming to Hillview. Donors will now use these private booths to enter their medical history information electronically, using either a touchscreen or a mouse. Donor ID at our Mountain View and Campus sites will follow later this year.
Tuesday, May 10»
For Sheila's birthday, she invited friends to donate blood with her at our Mountain View center. Thanks, ladies!
Sheila Mahdavi & Tammy Bateman
Friday, May 6»
A blood donor has filed a lawsuit filed against Stanford, alleging she contracted an infection after giving blood. Local media are reporting the story, but this is an ongoing piece of litigation, and we are not able to discuss any specific details of the case at this time. This issue does not affect the blood supply.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our blood donors and remind our community that all blood is collected using a sterile, single-use FDA-approved blood collection set. Prior to the collection, the donor’s skin is carefully disinfected. After the collection, the entire set—including needles and tubing—is discarded in a biohazard sharps container. Our Collection staff are highly trained and are audited frequently to ensure no deviation from FDA-regulated protocols. It is extremely unlikely that an infection would occur as a result of donating blood.
Patients at Stanford, Lucile Packard Children's, El Camino, El Camino Los Gatos, O'Connor, Palo Alto V.A. and Livermore V.A. Hospitals need blood donations every day. Our community's continued support with blood donations is pivotal for their welfare.
Wednesday, May 4»
Our red blood cell inventory is approaching critical levels for types O- and A-. We need your help. To make an appointment at one of our centers or to search for a mobile blood drive near you, click here
Tuesday, May 3»
Donor ID is coming soon! Starting June 7, donors at Stanford Blood Center fixed sites will be able to fill out their medical history forms using our new automated system.
Friday, April 29»
Did you know that red blood cells, frozen plasma, and platelets all have different expiration dates? Click here to read our blog post about how expiration dates are determined.
Tuesday, April 26»
Thanks to our group of "Doubters, Agnostics, Mythbusters & Nontheists", for your loyal support of our blood center!
David Byars, Thong Aleph
Robert Hillard
Happy Earth Day from Stanford Blood Center!
Our mascot ran outside our Campus Donor Center to hug a tree!
Check out our Earth Day blog post to find out the similarities between basaltic magma and blood.
Friday, April 22»
Thank you, Moose & Squirrel Team of the Nation of Men, for yet another inventory boost at our Mountain View Center!
Back row, from left: Andrew Hereth, Michael Corner, Patrick Morin & Raymond Miller.
Front row, from left: Bob Wirth, Tom Feasby & Al Dorsi
Tuesday, April 19»
Stanford Blood Center's esteemed Dr. Edgar Engleman is making headlines once again, this time for research that suggests that Type-2 diabetes is rooted in an autoimmune reaction and is not a purely metabolic disorder. Click here to read more about the research.
Friday, April 15»
Last week in our Cafe Scientifique speaker series, we heard the dynamic and eloquent Lauren Larsen talk about her traumatic experience with Preeclampsia - an illness that set in during pregnancy and nearly took her ife.
Lauren published a touching blog post today that describes a dramatic moment in her recovery, life, and marriage: the moment her husband let out a flood of emotions that had built up from all the pressure and anxiety related to her terrifying ordeal.
As long as you're browsing blogs, check out our new "Spotted in the blogosphere" page where we feature bloggers who've posted about their experiences with Stanford Blood Center.
Wednesday, April 6»
Here's another group that visits our Center regularly. They named their visits "Blood Dinners" because they donate blood together and have dinner together afterward. Great idea!
Back Row (left to right): Noel Young, Amanda Bower, & Carolee
Hazard; Front Row (left to right): Katie Ferrick & Alison Incaudo
Thursday, March 31»
Here is the "Drip n Drip" center drive group at their inaugural blood drive at our Mountain View center. We're hoping for many happy returns. Thanks for your generous support!
Pictured (left to right): Karen Croom, Charles Croom, Keneth Shaffer,
Shannon Shaffer, Sheri Hill & Fiane Torresan.
Monday, March 28»
A Type-O patient at one of our hospitals recently underwent a massive transfusion, meaning his entire blood volume had to be replaced within the first 12 hours of resuscitation. We need your help to make sure our blood supply is ready to meet the needs of patients such as this one. Types O+, O- and A- are especially in demand right now. Click here to make an appointment.
Tuesday, March 15»
Stanford Blood Center was recently invited to get involved with 100K Cheeks, a Stanford-based student advocate group. This group's goal is to register 100,000 new people to the national bone marrow registry by June 2012. Read our related blog post here, or click here to share your ideas about how to encourage bone marrow donation worldwide.
Tuesday, March 8»
We pitted 27 local tech companies against each other in a year-long blood drive competition in 2010, and the awards ceremony was held Friday. Bay Area companies NASA, SLAC, NVIDIA, Cisco, Brocade, Google, TiVo and Lockheed Martin received awards for their excellent performances in the Donor Cup. Thank you all for supporting local patients! Read the press release here, and our related blog piece here.
Pictured (left to right): Domingo Guerra, Brocade; Stacey Tinianov, Cisco;
Teri Castrejon, NASA; Lauren Barbieri, SLAC; & Judy DeSherlia, NVIDIA
Friday, March 4»
Thanks to our faithful "Monday Morning Blood Bus" for yet another boost to our blood inventory.
Pictured (left to right): Carol Deacon, Kelly Matsuura, Helen Hu,
Maura Hillegass, Mary Sipher & Judy Schmidt
Tuesday, March 1»
Thanks, The Donor Party, for holding your 7th group center drive. Your "making it a habit" is most appreciated.
Pictured (left to right): Carmen Mandac, Heidi Winner, Kevin Carpol,
Matti Hirpa & Natalie Brand
Friday, February 25»
Donate blood in the East Bay this weekend at Kevin Murphy's "Pay it Forward" blood drive. Here's a little more about Kevin:
Thursday, February 24»
This year's Sharks Drive was a major success for local patients! A huge thank you goes out to the Sharks Foundation for their continued support of our community's sick and injured. Here are the details; our resident blogger, Julie Ruel (pictured here at a previous Sharks drive with former Shark Manny Malhotra), also wrote a blog post about the annual event.
Wednesday, February 16»
Our Donor Cup competition wrapped up at the end of 2010, and we're announcing winners at an upcoming awards ceremony. Invitations are in the mail; the event will take place the morning of Friday, March 4 at our Hillview Center.
This celebratory event will be extra special because of unprescedented philanthropic support from Donor Cup participants HP, Apple, and eBay. And though they're not involved in Donor Cup, Intel, Intuit, and Oracle deserve a resounding thank you as well. Check out our latest blog post for details.
Tuesday, February 15»
Looking for a place to donate blood in the East Bay? Check out the second annual "Pay it forward" blood drive, hosted by young heart transplant recipient Kevin Murphy and his family. Make an appointment to donate at this drive on Feb. 26.
Looking for a place to donate blood in San Jose? Check out the annual Sharks Foundation blood drive on Feb. 19. Make an appointment before they're all taken!
Valentine's Day»
A big thank-you to everyone who submitted a haiku - we were very impressed! Check out all of them on our blog. Happy Valentine's Day!
Monday, February 7»
We're impresed with the haiku submissions we've received so far. Here is a nice one from blood donor Lia Adams:
Each beat of my heart
circulates life-giving blood
to someone in need.
By donating blood,
I share my health with others
and celebrate life.
Monday, January 24»
Stanford Blood Center parked two bloodmobiles in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 22. The blood drive gave locals an opportunity to support 4-year-old Dusty Dimas who is receiving treatment and blood transfusions for leukemia at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Colleen Granahan, Dusty's aunt and blood drive coordinator, made sure donors were comfortable in a donor lounge. There were also tents for face painting for kids, a bake sale, and a raffle. People had an opportunity to join the Be The Match Registry, and make bracelets and cards that Dusty will give to other young patients at LPCH.
Wednesday, January 19»
Blood recipient Mike Wu is an avid cyclist and fundraiser for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as well as the Asian-American Marrow Donor Program. View his and other powerful testimonies from patients who have received blood on our YouTube channel.
Tuesday, January 11»
We need your help in collecting enough platelets needed for patients at our local hospitals. In an average week, the hospitals order 250-270 units of platelets; however, last week they needed 329. This increase in demand is difficult to meet and expected to continue.
There are steps to be taken before you can donate platelets for the first time. Our staff will walk you through the process. Please call 888-723-7831.
Monday, January 10»
Below are Marc Tamo and Savana Vagueiro of Micro-Documentaries joyfully donating blood. Thanks for your support!
Check out this touching blog entry written by one of our other Micro-Documentarians about what he learned while working with our friends Brennah, Mike, and Quinn. Here's an excerpt:
The spokespeople of the Stanford Blood Center micro-documentaries have suffered some of the hardest things in life, almost losing their battle against death; but to this day they are still breathing oxygen, and their donated blood has helped carry it throughout their bodies. The most significant thing to me about the actual stories is how each of them has helped show me how to live life.
--Noah Stout, Micro-Documentaries
Wednesday, January 5»
"The Donor Party" makes its 6th center drive! Thanks for your loyal support to our local patients!
Alex Finlayson & Heidi Winner
Monday, January 3»
On December 29, 2010, Linda Johnson became the first woman to make 500 blood donations at Stanford Blood Center. Linda, who has been a dedicated Stanford donor for more than 20 years, donates platelets every other week. Congratulations on reaching this fantastic milestone!
Tuesday, December 21»
Phillip Dah of InnVision accepts a check from Cynthia in Marketing. Thanks to our Thanksgiving holiday promotion, donors helped provide 198 beds for people in need through Hotel de Zink! InnVision runs the Hotel de Zink program, and they are so thankful to have the support of Stanford Blood Center donors!
Friday, December 17»
An important part of our promotions program is our Monday Movie Madness. We'd like to thank MagnetStreet, Superior Labels, and Vistaprint for supporting this promotion and helping us recruit donors this year!
Monday, December 13»
Congrats to Stanford Hospital & Clinics for being named one of the top hospitals in the nation. We agree! Check out the article here.
Friday, December 10»
Brennah was only seven when she was in a head-on collision with a semi trailer. She was flown by helicopter to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital where she spent several months. Brennah, now twelve, is doing very well. If she looks familiar, it may be that you’ve seen her speak at one of our events where she loves to personally thank the donors. We're so proud of our littlest advocate!
Check out our other content on our YouTube channel.
Thursday, December 9»
A big thanks to this group of beautiful ladies who regularly donates blood together. Thanks for visiting our Hillview location!
Carol Deacon, Kim Wong, Judy Schmidt, & Kelly Matsuura
Monday, December 6»
Congratulations to the winners of our photo contest! Check out all of the entries on Flickr. Here are the winners:
First Place: Laurie Naiman
Second Place: Mohammad Kheirkhah
Third Place: Randy Silver
Youth winner: Catherine Davidson
Thursday, December 2»
Give blood! It saves the lives of local patients, and new research shows that altruism could bring you a longer life. Check out this story.
Wednesday, December 1»
Thank you, Silicon Valley Secular Coalition, for your inaugural & successful center drive on Saturday. We appreciate your support!
David Byars & Zachary Harrell
Monday, November 29
Thanks for giving, donors! With your help (all 397 of you who donated Monday through Wednesday leading up to Thanksgiving), we will provide 198 beds for people in need through Hotel de Zink!
Monday, November 22
Thank you to everyone who came out to donate at last week's Rivals For Life blood drive. Stanford Blood Center collected 271 units and beat Cal for a third straight year. Go Cardinal!
Left: Meyli Chapin
Right: Alexandra Santiago and Christian Angulo
Friday, November 19»
A big thanks to the groups that have recently donated blood together at Stanford Blood Center. If you're interested in visiting one of our Centers with a group of co-workers, family, or friends, please contact Kevin O'Neill.
Ethan & Stacy Nagel from AOL, Palo Alto. Thanks for your support of our community hospitals!
John Gong, Janice Batano, Lauren Chuck, Dawn Chuck, Marty Chuck, & Cathy Switzer at the "Bikers Out for Blood" BBQ! Thanks to the exhaustive recruiting of donors (and drawing prizes!) of frequent platelet donor and cyclist, Dawn Chuck, we were able to collect 68 units of whole blood last Saturday at Hillview. Thanks, Dawn, and all your wonderful cycling buddies!
Monday, November 15»
The Blood Center's photo contest has been extended through the end of November. Submit a photo that portrays "the spirit of giving" and your photo might be displayed on our website and social media sites!
Read more»
Thursday, November 11»
The Los Altos Sunset Rotary Club combined a blood drive with a Halloween costume contest at our Mountain View center on Saturday, October 30. Looks like they had a blast! Thanks, loyal blood donors.
Back row, left to right: Nik Greene, Vince Bitz, Nina Bitz, Rocky Curby,
Judy Hannemann, & Kris McDonough
Front row: Veronica Bitz, Sandi McDonough, & Lori Russitano
Monday, November 8»
Need a reminder of why it's important to donate blood? Here's our inspiration (more on our YouTube channel):
Thursday, November 4»
Did you know that your honesty plays a crucial role in protecting our local patients? Every question that you are asked during preparation for a blood donation is asked in strict confidence, and should be answered with total, unabashed truthfulness—even if the truthful answer isn’t something you would want your spouse, parents, or the police to know. We are legally bound to protect your privacy, so your information is safe with us.
Why is honesty so important? Because it protects the patients who receive your blood in a transfusion. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported a case of transfusion-transmitted HIV—the first since 2002. A man who donated blood in Missouri lied about his sexual history when answering the blood donor screening questionnaire. His blood donation was separated into two components and given to two different patients. One of the patients died within days due to another cause, and the other was infected with HIV.
Stanford Blood Center does everything within our power (including these tests) to protect the integrity of our blood supply, but we can’t do it all. We depend upon our donors to do the right thing and answer all screening questions with total honesty. Patients’ lives depend on it.
We’ve put together a Q&A forum for this topic here. If you have additional questions you’d like to see answered on that page, please e-mail them to us.
Upcoming event»
Join us for Café Scientifique this Thursday, where David Miller will discuss the college admissions process.
• Thursday, November 4, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
• Hillview Center
Read more on our Café Scientifique page.
Friday, October 29»
The Stanford student group, "Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics" (AHA!), gave our inventory a boost Tuesday evening at our campus center. Thanks for your generous support!
From left: Megan Miller, Michael Berger, & Leyan Lo
Newspaper covers one of Stanford Blood Center's own»
Carlene Vasquez's home was all but destroyed in the San Bruno explosion. This article shows how she and her husband Arturo are coping and rebuilding (with a little help from their friends).
Photo contest»
From now through the end of November, we will be holding a digital photo contest open to the community. Contestants will be asked to submit photos that portray “the spirit of giving”. Put your unique spin on this topic, using technical skill and bold originality. Winning photographs and selected finalists will be proudly exhibited on our Web site and social media sites, and will also receive prizes!
Click here for details.
Thursday, October 14»
Today, the Dalai Lama was on campus to deliver a lecture on the centrality of compassion in human life and society.
Tia Rich, Ph.D., Director of Stanford CARES™ (Compassion, Awareness, and Relationship Skills to Ease Stress) defines compassion as the ability to recognize and skillfully respond to your own needs and the needs of other people. Read her fascinating Q&A with BeWell@Stanford about the health benefits of compassion here.
Please consider showing your compassion by donating blood. Call us at 888-723-7831 or make an appointment online.
Monday, October 11»
The In-and-Out Team of the South Bay's 'Nation of Men' gave our blood inventory a boost of 7 whole blood units at campus recently. Many thanks for a job well done, Team!.
Front Row (left to right): David Montagna, David Reid, Art Muir.
Back Row: Roger Kuhn, Rich Worthington, Ron McDowell, & Brigham Foster
Thursday, October 7»
Donor Cup third quarter results are in! Congrats to the following participating companies on their victories:
Highest Company Participation:
LifeScan with 22.3%
Highest Projection Accuracy:
Hitachi with 186.8%
Most New Donors:
Exelixis with 34.6%
Most Repeat Donors:
Lockheed Martin with 95.7%
Most Units Donated:
Cisco with 229
Tuesday, October 5»
Thanks to the St Matthew's Episcopal Day School Moms for their most generous & needed blood donations! If you would like to organize a group of friends, co-workers, or family to donate at one of our Centers together, please contact Kevin O'Neill.
from left: Agatha Precourt, Jennifer Smyth, Maggie Perks, Kristi Blundell, Tiffany Bassett, and Michele Inouye
Wednesday, September 22»
A delegation of "AOL Supporters of San Bruno Residents", under the leadership of Heidi Vance, have contributed numerous units of blood in response to the needs of the victims of the San Bruno fire. Many thanks for their prompt, invaluable boost to our blood inventory!
From left: Nichole Lee, Heidi Vance, Ben Hudnut, & Jae Wilson
Monday, September 20»
The Menlo Park Police Department hosted 3 blood drives in support of wounded Fremont Police Officer Todd Young. A total of 66 donors participated, resulting in at least 24 new blood donors! "Thinking of You" cards were utilized to communicate best wishes directly to the Young family. Thanks, MPPD, for your wonderful support of our community hospitals, as well as a needy colleague!
Rick Lambert, Phil Moser, Dave Verber, & Harriet Fox
Peter Kutch
Kevin and Andrea Paugh
Wednesday, September 15»
Dear Blood Donors:
Thank you for the incredible outpouring of support in response to the San Bruno explosion and fire. Just as we saw a couple weeks ago when Officer Young was shot in the line of duty, Bay Area donors came out in droves to help in any way they could. With your help, we were able to replace the O-negative units that we sent to help the victims a few hours after the blast, and all other types have gotten a much needed boost, too, as we make our way out of the summer shortages.
It takes 48 hours to process and test blood after it's collected, so the blood that is utilized during a disaster is likely the blood that was donated during the few days prior. The best way to ensure that blood is available when patients need it is to maintain a steady blood supply. We aim to keep enough blood in our inventory to keep our hospitals functioning for three days. The most difficult times to meet that collection goal are the summer months and the weeks surrounding the winter holidays.
This past weekend alone (9/10-9/12), Stanford Hospital transfused 546 blood products. Some of the surgeries that utilized blood products in the past few days were: two liver transplants; seven separate major heart repairs, including one in an infant; and a pediatric double lung transplant. In addition to your support of the San Bruno victims, we thank you for contributing to the welfare of these patients.
If you aren't already, please consider becoming a regular blood donor. If all of our "one-timers" gave blood once per quarter, we would be much closer to our goal of keeping a three-day supply on hand at all times. Give us a call at 888-723-8271 if you'd like to have a tour of our facility, learn more, or schedule your future appointments.
Tuesday, September 14»
On August 28, "The Rotary Club", sponsored by the Los Altos Sunset Rotary Club through Vince Bitz, conducted its inaugural center drive at our Mountain View center. A remarkable 15 members participated. Thanks for boosting our blood inventory, Rotarians!
Rotary Club members Margarethe Pfeffer and Hooman Bamdad donating at our Mountain View center.
Friday, September 10»
Due to overwhelming response to the explosion and fire in San Bruno, we are experiencing a major influx of blood donors. Please anticipate longer-than-usual wait times as we accommodate increased donor flow. Your quick response and generous effort to donate blood are greatly appreciated.
In order to keep up with expected demand and continue to provide blood for patients, we need a steady flow of donors through next week.
Thursday (9/9) night, we sent a substantial portion of our O-negative blood inventory to a blood center that serves hospitals outside our coverage area in support of the San Bruno victims. The hospitals that we serve are currently (as of Friday 9/10 at noon) reporting stable blood inventories, but this could change at any time.
Burn victims typically need blood transfusions over a prolonged period; donation appointments are available here, and our goal is to fill all appointments at our Centers and Mobile Blood Drives through next week. If you are able to schedule an appointment to donate blood next week, please do. That would help us provide a steady supply of blood products for patients as they are treated over the next several days.
Tuesday, September 7»
Monday Movie Madness tickets will be sponsored today and Mondays, September 13, 20, and 27 by Superior Labels. They have been offering address labels since 1995. They offer custom-printed address mailing labels in sheets and rolls, as well as rubber stamps. “We are proud to partner with the Stanford Blood Center and help reward those generous people who donate blood,” said Scott Lee, President.
Monday, August 30»
Thinking of Officer Todd Young
On Friday, August 27, Fremont Police Officer Todd Young was shot in the line of duty. He required heavy transfusions during his initial surgery. Highland Hospital, where Officer Young is being treated, encourages potential donors to contact local blood centers.
Although Stanford Blood Center does not send blood directly to Highland Hospital, we do support the needs of our community. Your donation will ensure that blood is available to local patients during illness and crisis.
When you visit one of our Centers or blood drives in support of Officer Young, please fill out a "Thinking of You" card in the refreshment area after your donation. Stanford Blood Center is collecting them and working with the American Red Cross to deliver messages of support to Officer Young and his family. Our joint press release can be viewed here.
Alert: Time change for our Stanford football promo»
Many of our Donor Cup participants received vouchers for Stanford's first game of the season against Sacramento State. The vouchers were printed with an incorrect start time. The Stanford vs. Sac State game begins at 3:30. Go Cardinal!
Friday, August 20»
Our current Featured Partner is MagnetStreet, a provider of save-the-date magnets and wedding invitations. We share a commitment to helping people celebrate life, and are excited to work with them on some upcoming promos. Read more»
Friday, August 13»
The "Donor Party" seems to be gaining traction. Perhaps we'll need a wide-angle lens next time. Thanks for your support!
From left to right: Chris Soper, Jeffrey Sweet, Jarrett Hedrick, Heidi Winner, Ryan Goetz, Matti Hirpa, Michael Carpol & Nathan Patkay
Tuesday, August 10»
Check out SBC's brand new blog! Click on the "Hemo blog in" button above.
Thursday, August 5»
Quinn Bossow was born in March, 2009 with a massive cancerous tumor on his leg. He was transferred from El Camino Hospital to Stanford Hospital, where they had to amputate his leg just above the knee in order to remove the tumor. Quinn's doing great now, and according to his mom he has no idea he has any limitations. After watching her baby receive many so units of blood, Quinn's mom Karen is a grateful advocate of blood donation.
Check out other video content on our YouTube Channel
Monday, August 2»
Alert: we have a critically low inventory for type O blood!
An O+ patient undergoing a liver transplant over the weekend required 42 units of red cells, 19 units of plasma, and 4 units of platelets. As of 7:00 this morning, we had 37 available units of type O blood (our optimum level is 390). Please help us replenish our type O blood supply over the next few days by making an appointment.
Thursday, July 22»
We apologize: Because of a coding error with our online appointment system, we mistakenly e-mailed reminders to many donors who don’t have appointments. We are working with our developers to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. We respect and appreciate our donors, and would never intentionally violate your trust. If you received an erroneous e-mail from us, we are sorry.
Monday, July 12»
The second quarter of 2010 is over, and Donor Cup results are in! Congrats to Altera, Cisco, Exelixis, NASA, TiVo, and VMware for their stellar performances this quarter. (Donor Cup is a blood drive competition among tech companies in the Bay Area. It's a fight to the end where patients win!)
Tuesday, June 22»
Stanford Blood Center would like to thank the Menlo Park Fire Fighters' Association for its ongoing support in helping us keep up with the summer's blood product needs.
From left to right: David Clark Dickinson, Timothy Bogner and
Bill McFarland
From left to right: Bill Gilmore, Mick Hughes and John Wurdinger
Thursday, June 17»
We recently sat down with platelet donor Robert Cormia to find out what makes him tick. In this brief video, Robert describes what motivates him to be a regular blood donor, from the donor chair. Thanks, Robert!
Check out other video content on our YouTube Channel
Tuesday, June 15»
Yesterday—World Blood Donor Day—had special significance for one of our community's dedicated donors, Stan Jensen. It was his 25th anniversary of being a blood donor! Our Administrator, Vince Yalon visited Stan at our Campus Center while Stan was giving blood for the 337th time. Thanks, Stan, for helping out so many sick and injured people in our community for 25 whole years! Your long-term dedication sets a great example for the rest of us.
Monday, June 14»
It's World Blood Donor Day! Thank you to the generous, eligible donors who are brave enough to endure a little pain and provide a local patient with the blood transfusion they need.
Friday, June 11»
Here's the growing "Donor Party" returning to our campus location on Monday, June 7. Thanks for your generous support!
From left to right: Naveen Agrawal, Nathan Patkay, Matti Hirpa, Danielle Cohen, Michael Carpol & Robert Harbison
Tuesday, June 8»
Today, a couple of us at SBC had the privilege of having lunch with one of our blood recipients, Ron Preston (you may recognize him from our brochures or posters). After successfully fighting off CML about a decade ago, Ron was left susceptible to developing other types of cancer. Early this year, he found out that had happened, but was able to undergo surgery to have the new cancer removed.
Today, Ron talked about all the time he gets to enjoy with his kids, how much he appreciates blood donors, and he even volunteered to talk with young, apprehensive donors about the merits of donating blood. It was great to see Ron flourishing, and it's all because of generous blood donors like you!
Monday, June 7»
"Making It a Habit": Here are Blood Dinners Group members Julie Figliozzi, Alison Incaudo, Steffany Cressey, Carolee Hazard and Suncica Lukic having yet another generous blood donation dinner party at our campus center. Thanks, ladies!
Tuesday, May 25»
This month's Monday Movie Madness AMC Theatre Tickets brought to you by Vistaprint, provider of free business cards. If your company or organization would like to sponsor our movie ticket promotion for our donors, please contact: John Williams, Marketing Manager: 650-723-7265 or [email protected].
Wednesday, May 19»
We've been hearing a lot of comments from patients who are receiving blood transfusions at Stanford's Cancer Center lately. Here are a few words from a patient undergoing treatment for MDS, also known as preleukemia:
"I am so very grateful to the wonderful anonymous donors who give me blood products so that I can continue living. I'm not sure if they know how much of a difference they make. They have kept me living for a long time, and I hope for that to continue. I pray for these wonderful donors every day. I pray their health continues to be well."
Thursday, May 13»
The San Jose Sharks are one step closer to the Stanley Cup. Best of luck in the Western Conference Finals!
Sharks defenseman Kent Huskins with a donor at our January blood drive at HP Pavilion
Tuesday, May 4»
Stanford Blood Center's very own founder and Medical Director, Dr. Ed Engleman developed the newly-approved cancer vaccine Provenge here at SBC in the 1990s. This story, on the cover of today's Stanford Daily, tells more. We're so proud!
Thursday, April 15»
Here's Urban Dog Walkers member Betty Chow in mid-donation with Stanford Blood Center nurse Karen Mijares-Blanco for a center drive at our Hillview location. Many thanks for the five donations, UDW!
Thursday, April 8»
The Stanford student organization, Organ Donor Education, is collaborating with SBC for their April & May campaign to recruit organ donors. This program is sponsored by the California Transplant Donor Network as a state-wide competition among colleges. Their recruiting materials will be displayed at our centers and mobiles during the campaign. Thanks for you support of this life-saving cause!
Friday, April 2»
First quarter results are in!
The Donor Cup is a blood drive competition among tech companies in the Bay Area. Performance stats are posted each quarter. Here are the frontrunners so far:
Highest Company Participation: Stryker Endoscopy with 10.9%
Highest Projection Accuracy: Cisco with 154.2%
Most New Donors: Google with 34.2%
Most Repeat Donors: Lockheed Martin with 99%
Most Units Donated: Lockheed Martin with 193 units
Complete results are here. Congrats and thank you to the generous employees at these companies! We can't wait to see how everyone does in the second quarter. (Donor Cup info is up on our site permanently - just go to the "What's New?" tab above, and select Donor Cup from the menu.)
Friday, March 26»
Good news! Donors who were permanently deferred for answering “yes” to one of the Africa questions, (i.e. donors who stated they were born/lived in, received medical treatment/transfusion, or had sexual contact with someone, from certain countries in Africa), can now undergo evaluation for reinstatement. If you are interested in reinstatement, please contact Arlene Layon, Clinical Specialist at 650-723-2597 or [email protected].
Thursday, March 25»
For March's Cafe Scientifique event, Daniel Bernstein, M.D., a Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and a clinician at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Stanford Hospital & Clinics, dropped by our Hillview location to share the revolutionary improvements in care for children born with congenital heart defects.
Friday, March 12»
Stanford Blood Center is creating a series of patient-focused video ads which will run at local movie theaters during the spring and summer. This first one features Kevin Murphy, a 13 year-old heart transplant recipient.
Wednesday, March 10»
An important message from our Apheresis department:
Hello friends, Our hospitals’ platelet needs have increased and we cannot keep up with the demand. I am asking for your help during this crisis. If you have an appt., please do your best to keep it. If you’ve never donated platelets, I invite you to come in, get tested and see if you qualify for the program. Thank you for your help in saving lives!
—JoAnn Wilson, RN, HP (ASCP)
Apheresis Collections Manager
Wednesday, February 24»
Here is Stanford Blood Center employee Cynthia Zapanta with "Battle of the Sexes" winner, James Conrad. Conrad, a multi-gallon donor at our campus location, won a Zeppelin ride for two courtesy of Airship Ventures. He was planning to take the tour with his spouse, Lisa, but his 11-year-old daughter, Taylor, is also hoping for the second ticket. Happy flying, Conrads!
KBAY morning show hosts Sam & Lissa took the time to meet donors at the Northwest YMCA blood drive on Wednesday, February 24. "I heard Sam and Lissa on the radio and it made me feel that I should give back to the community," said Thuc Nguyen, a first-time donor. "I've always wanted to donate blood."
Friday, February 19»
These wonderful ladies donate blood together regularly at our Campus Donor Center. Below is a photo of the self-proclaimed "Blood Dinners Group" taken during their most recent visit on Feb. 9. After they donate blood, they treat themselves to a dinner out (hence the name!) Thanks, ladies, for your loyal support!
We have several groups who come in to donate together. If you're interested in starting one up, contact Kevin O'Neill and he'll help (650-725-2540; [email protected])
Jennifer Allen, Carolee Hazard, Alison Incaudo, & Steffany Cressey
Friday, February 19»
We're teaming up with the California Transplant Donor Network and the National Marrow Donor Program for a blood drive and an organ, tissue and marrow registration event today at the San Ramon home of 13-year-old heart transplant recipient Kevin Murphy. Read more»
Tuesday, February 16»
Congratulations, Guys! You have won the Battle of the Sexes competition, 476 to 414. However, the real winners are the sick & injured patients in our community hospitals whose critical, and ascending, need for blood products has been successfully met. Many thanks to all the wonderful women and men who participated last week, as well as those who faithfully donate blood year after year!
Friday, February 12»
We need donors to step up to the plate(let)! Our hospitals are using about 20% more platelets than usual right now. If you've donated whole blood, please consider becoming a platelet donor. It takes a little more time, but is very rewarding.
We will be holding extra rounds of platelet appointments over the next few days to accommodate the increased demand. Friday 2/12: 5 extra platelet appointments at our Campus center, 4 extra platelet appointments at our Mountain View Center, and 4 extra platelet appointments at our Hillview Center; Saturday 2/13: 8 extra platelet appointments at our Hillview Center; Monday 2/15: All Centers closed for the President's Day Holiday, except we're taking 15 platelet appointments at our Hillview Center. Donors will recieve a free movie ticket AND a T-shirt!
Battle of the Sexes contest: February 8 - 13
Join us, along with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the HERS Breast Cancer Foundation in a friendly blood drive competition to help raise awareness for the leading incidences of cancer in each gender. Donate for these three great causes and get your commemorative T-shirt! Enter a prize drawing for a Zeppelin flight for two – one of only three Zeppelins in the world! Read more»
Monday, January 25»
Our annual Sharks Drive took place over the weekend. It was a record-breaking success! Thank you to the Sharks players, The Sharks Foundation, and all the donors who came out and helped us collect 338 units! That's our biggest blood drive EVER! Read more»
Friday, January 15»
Would you believe this happy group from Alexza Pharmaceuticals have already donated? Thanks, ladies!
Left to right: Priscilla Bereza, Dr Sharon Horton, and Stephanie Dabbs
Wednesday, January 13»
Articles have recently been published about a lawsuit filed against Stanford Hospital. This is an ongoing piece of litigation, and we are not able to discuss any specific details of the case at this time.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our blood donors and remind our community that donating blood is safe for donors. All blood is collected using a sterile, single-use FDA-approved blood collection set. Prior to the collection, the donor’s skin is carefully disinfected. Collection staff are highly trained and are audited frequently to ensure no deviation from FDA-regulated protocols. It is extremely unlikely that an infection would occur as a result of donating blood. We have never heard of a case of blood or bone infection occurring from a blood donation.
We would also like to remind our community that we are a nonprofit blood center. While donated blood is free, there are significant costs associated with collecting, testing, labeling, storing and shipping blood; recruiting and educating donors; and quality assurance. Like all blood centers, we charge processing fees to recover those costs.
Patients at Stanford, Lucile Packard Children's, El Camino, El Camino Los Gatos, O'Connor, Palo Alto V.A. and Livermore V.A. Hospitals need blood donations every day. Our community's continued support with blood donations is pivotal for their welfare.
Friday, January 8»
Our newest center group is "The Donor Party", organized by Kevin Carpol. They are researching a group shirt design and the next donation date. What a great beginning, and thanks!
From left: Brenden Johnson, Kevin Carpol, Michael Carpol, Reed Christensen, Elisabeth Ellsworth, and Heidi Winner.
Monday, January 4»
Get in the Habit
• Thursday, January 7, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Hillview Center
Now in its second year, our New Year’s resolution health and wellness event has expanded in scope. We are proud to feature our new partner Team In Training who will showcase the many opportunities for getting in shape and helping defeat blood cancers at the same time. Enjoy health and fitness demonstrations including bicycle safety (thanks to Chain Reaction Bicycles, who are also providing water bottles for attendees), taekwondo, massage, and free healthy cuisine. We will hold prize drawings for an annual membership to the YMCA and a two hour consultation with Lift Your Spirits Home Transformations.
Monday, December 28»
Wouldn’t you love a sumptuous lunch or dinner at a local premium restaurant? Each day, Saturday, December 26, through Thursday, December 31, one winner per Center will receive a dining gift certificate for two to Trader Vic's, Mantra, Kan Zeman, Sundance, The Cantankerous Fish, or First Crush!
Tuesday, December 22»
Our good friend and blood recipient Brennah Payne wrote a thank-you poem to our blood donors. We are so happy to share it with you and hope it warms your heart for the holiday season.
Some people think that blood is rare.
But really, the donors are usually the ones that are bare.
Since I've been doing these presentations,
It seems that to donate blood for people is like a vacation!
Donors seem to have a change of mind, a change of heart.
Those changes seem to make a difference
So that you can't tell kindness and donating apart!
Donating blood saved my life, too!
That way I can go out and talk to you.
So thank you, thank you for saving me!
Now I get to be with my family!
Mommy, Daddy, Mariah too, McKendra, Tyler and Max;
Benson and Spencer are my family in view;
For this, I truly thank each of you!
Love, Brennah Kahaunani Payne
Thursday, December 17»
Carolee Hazard rallied her "Blood Dinners Group" for another successful group drive at campus 12-8-09. Thanks very much, loyal supporters!
Julie Figliozzi, Carolee Hazard, Ellen Wilkinson, Lynn Crocker, Susan Robinson, and Jennifer Allen
Tuesday, December 15»
These six smiling blood donors recently visited our Mountain View Center in support of their colleague from Benvenue Medical of Santa Clara who was having surgery at Stanford. He's now back at work. Nice job, team!
Friday, December 11»
Written and produced by two Stanford students (thanks Galym and Aigerim), this video reminds us what's really important. We're especially looking for those O-negative donors right now; there's a patient undergoing a liver transplant who will need multiple units of O-negative blood. Please make an appointment at a center or mobile today!
Wednesday, December 9»
Holiday Greeting Cards: Kid Designed, Donor Approved!
Two talented girls who spent time at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital were kind enough to create artwork for this year’s holiday thank you gift. Donate at a mobile or a Center between Monday, December 14, and Saturday, January 9, and receive a bundle of five greeting cards, each with a different design. The art shown here is by Maddie, titled "Hands of Hope". Notice how the hands form the shape of a heart! Brilliant!
Friday, December 4»
Yerba Buena High School in San Jose crushed its previous blood drive record this year when 242 people showed up to donate. From those potential donors, 195 units of blood were collected and will go to local patients whose survival depends on the precious gift. Last year, 193 people came to donate and 160 units were collected. Way to go Yerba Buena!
Wednesday, December 2»
Check out the latest version of our donor magazine, LifeLink. Donors and volunteers for whom we have physical addresses will recieve one in the mail; everyone else can access the PDF here. Many thanks to the Moustirats family, the Payne family, and the Shinaman family for sharing the stories of their beautiful, inspirational children with SBC and our donors.
Tuesday, December 1»
This Thanksgiving, Stanford Blood Center partnered with Silicon Valley charity InnVision to feed and clothe the homeless. For every blood donation made between 11/14 and 11/21, $2.50 worth of food and clothing was given to InnVision. A total of 886 blood donors for the week brings the donation to a $2,200 value! We also received generous contributions from Safeway Homestead, Safeway Los Altos, Nob Hill/Raleys, Costco Mountain View, Grocery Outlet Redwood City, Prodigy Press, and Stanford Terrace Inn.
“Holidays are not the only days we are in need. Your help is vital to our community every single day.” InnVision Peninsula Programs Director Phillip Dah shares a fact about the need for donated food and clothing items in our community. The same goes for blood donations!
Thursday, November 19»
Planning to give back during the Thanksgiving holiday by donating blood? We hope so! Be sure and check out our holiday schedule here.
Tuesday, November 17»
Things are going great out at the Rivals for Life blood drive on campus at Stanford today! We're there till 8—stop by and donate blood and get a commemorative T-shirt AND be entered to win a pair of field passes to the Big Game this weekend!
Left: Arrillaga has plenty of space for what might turn out to be our BIGGEST blood drive EVER!; Right: Our very favorite Senior Associate Athletic Director, Eric Stein gave blood earlier!
Monday, November 16»
A big thank-you goes out to the talented and beautiful news anchor Roberta Gonzales who helped us out with a message for donors. She's an inspiration to us all—challenge yourself to do something good (...like giving blood!):
Friday, October 30»
Fire and police service personnel, with family and friends, in San Mateo County, honored an ill Menlo Park firefighter, Randy Kelly, with a huge out pouring of support in the way of blood donations in his honor. 40 individuals donated on 3 planned days, with numerous others stopping in to donate over the past 10 days. What a remarkable display of goodness on behalf of a public service colleague!
Carl Kustin, Dave Dickinson, Marco Dito, Tom Smith, Nicole Stoney-Mattias, and Jason Martibn
Left photo: Jason Martin, John Renner, Glen Grant, and Chuck Papangellin; Right photo: Ray Abel, Denise Abel, Troy Holt, Bill Gilmore, and John Renner
Thursday, October 22»
After this morning's touching event with donors who have each given blood more than 100 times, we're focused on the reason behind so much generosity: patients. Check out this latest installment of the "Why give blood?" series, featuring Ron Preston:
Our YouTube channel has more videos like this.
Tuesday, October 20»
We're so excited about honoring our 100+ time donors at a breakfast on Thursday morning! Read more»
Monday, October 12»
Our donors continue to amaze us—Dennis Barton rode in a 508-mile bike race recently. Click the link below to see a re-cap video; Dennis is at minute 4:53 (sporting an SBC bike jersey!)
http://www.the508.com/2009web/index.html
Tuesday, October 6»
"Why give blood?" part 2 features Meghan Masterson. You might recognize her from our brochures and events. In her fight with TTP, she needed transfusions of about as much blood as we typically collect in an entire week. Check it out»
Friday, October 2»
Here are our loyal donors from Urban Dog Walkers celebrating their chow time in our canteen! Thanks, folks!
left to right: Gregory Kunkel, Christina Ellis, Karen Kunkel, and Andrew Huysmans
Wednesday, September 23»
We'll be uploading a new series of videos on our YouTube channel called "Why give blood?". Check out this one of Jeannie Callan-Smith; she is one very lucky lady, and we love having her as a blood donation advocate:
Wednesday, September 16»
The Wall Street Journal wrote about our "Giving Blood Works" events. Check it out here.
Thursday, September 10»
We're proud to be the primary blood supplier for the newest member of the El Camino Hospital family: El Camino Hospital Los Gatos. We're fortunate to have the opportunity to expand our region of support, and we look forward to sharing the generosity of our amazing volunteer blood donors with Los Gatos.
Thursday, September 3»
Update: our "Sounds and Sizzles" end-of-summer blood drive today is going great! Our staff are reporting an amazing turnout (they had to run out and buy more food!). There's still time to come by Arrillaga and donate blood at this drive. We'll take walk-ins till 7, live music begins at 5:30 and will go on until 8 or 9.
below, left to right: Eric Stein, senior associate athletic director, rolled up his sleeve today - thanks Eric! We love partnering with BeWell!; We shot the Sheriff!; Aaahhhh, yeah. The sizzles.
Tuesday, August 25»
Click play below to check out a sweet drum solo from one of our celebrity advocates; producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter
Narada Michael Walden:
Thursday, August 6»
During the week of July 20, 37 of Susan Morris’ friends and colleagues donated blood in her honor. Thanks to everyone for showing their support. Here are a few pics:
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Jennifer Mauricio, Michelle and Rodger Harmon, Megan Lee
Steve Honey, Edith Jacobi, Carmen Fong
Gloria Zaechelein, Tim Gilmore, Mallory Hayes
Monday, August 3»
Announcing the winners of our Blanket Contest! This summer we held a contest for blankets. A huge thank-you goes out to everyone who participated as a contestant and to those who voted. Keep your eyes peeled for these beautiful works of art in action in our Centers. Drumroll, please... the winners are:
From left: 1st place: Debbie Vargas, 2nd place: Martha Franks, 3rd place: Marjorie Scooros
honorable mentions: Sarah Rahamim, Brenda & Michelle Koehler
Friday, July 31»
Earlier this month, 8 “Friends of Tyler Risk” came to our Hillview center in support of their friend by donating blood. Thanks for both honoring Tyler as well as helping boost our challenged inventory of blood products!
From left to right: Donors Amy Saunders, Jocelyn Steffen, Kharon Hathaway (Coordinator), Holly Heaven, Lydia Johnson, and Michele Kabacinski
Left: Kathleen Baldwin; right: Kharon Hathaway (with Candice Hyde)
Monday, July 27»
Donate blood at the Aloha Festival in San Francisco's Presidio. The event takes place Saturday & Sunday, August 1 & 2, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Main Post/Parade Grounds. Blood drive is noon to 5 p.m. each day.Mahalo!
Tuesday, July 21»
On July 17, the “Blood Dinners Group”, friends who like to donate blood and have dinner afterwards, gathered at our campus center to help out our anemic blood product inventory. We thank each and every one of our 8 donors, and look forward to your return in a couple of months!
From left to right: Carolee Hazard (Coordinator), Julie Figliozzi, Steffany Cressey, Kristin Campbell, Grace Hazard, Susan Haley, and Ellen Wilkinson.
Wednesday, July 15»
Ava’s Blood Drive was held in San Jose yesterday. Read More»
Monday, July 13»
On July 1, the friends and family of Stanford Hospital patient Mark Alexander honored their dear friend. Read More»
Monday, July 6»
We've paired up again with Stanford Jazz Workshop to give you and a friend the chance to attend a concert during their 38th Stanford Jazz Festival.
Tuesday, June 23»
A huge thanks to our Menlo Park Firefighters' Association for donating blood in a group drive at our centers! Read more»
If you're interested in holding a center-based group drive with your organization, please contact Kevin O'Neill at (650) 725-2540 or
Monday, June 1»
We had amazing participation in our blanket contest. Thank you to everyone who spent time and energy on submissions.
Friday, May 29»
Thank you Urban Dog Walkers for donating blood! Read More»
Thursday, May 28»
Check out the new design(s) for our annual "Grateful Life" campaign:
This year, you have two T-shirt options!
Friday, May 8»
A special newsletter for platelet donors is in the mail. Click here for the online version and a downloadable PDF.
Tuesday, May 5»
From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: "The ongoing outbreak of new emerging 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus (H1N1 flu) infections in the United States has raised questions about whether this virus can be transmitted through blood transfusion. No case of transfusion transmitted seasonal influenza has ever been reported in the United States or elsewhere, and, to date, no cases of transfusion transmitted H1N1 flu have been reported. FDA is continuing to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is in close contact with the AABB Interorganizational Task Force on Pandemic Influenza and the Blood Supply to monitor this outbreak and its impact on blood safety and availability.
At this time, it is important to remember that, when clinically indicated, the benefits of a transfusion far outweigh the risks, including any theoretical risk of H1N1 flu transmission through blood or blood products.
View the entire article, "Information about Newly Emerging 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus and Blood Safety" here.
Monday, May 4»
Check out these awesome members of the PAFD who donated blood last week! Read more»
Friday, April 24»
Some of our most dedicated platelet donors (who give to the max... thank you!) may be affected by a change in eligibility policy. Read more»
Wednesday, April 1»
Check out som excellent student-made videos! Many thanks to Chris Hayes, David Newell, and Josh Chan of Stanford University's Community Writing Project for developing and producing such wonderful work for us at SBC on our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/stanfordbloodcenter.
Thursday, February 5»
Our third annual blood drive with the Sharks Foundation was a record-breaker! Read more»
photo: John Williams
Thursday, January 15»
We had an event last week to help our donors form healthy habits in 2009. It was a blast!
Thursday, November 20»
Recap of Rivals for Life blood drive competition with UC-Berlekey
Guess what? We beat Cal. Read more»
Monday, November 3»
The definition of 'loyal blood donor': Dick Tagg
Last week we held our annual Precious Mettle Breakfast, where we honor those donors who have given blood at least 100—and some up to 200, 300, 400, even 500—times. The Mercury News ran a story about some of the amazing people who were honored at this event. Click here to read the story.
Tuesday, October 28»
Just one more donation helps
Our "OneToTwo" event on October 22 was a great success! It was the first in a series of events we will host to encourage donors to add one more donation each year.
A donor shows off the goodies she picked up -
made exclusively for this event.
Blood recipient Ron Preston thanks a donor
for doing her part to save lives!
"C'mon, grand prize! Yay, AMC movie ticket!"
Wednesday, October 8»
We get by with a little help from our friends
We're so grateful to have the support of people, organizations, and companies all over the Bay Area. Click here to read about our partnership with Sports Basement.
Tuesday, October 7» Stars on and off the field
Olympic gold medal winner Nicole Barnhart (above, right) from the U.S. women’s soccer team and Stanford University soccer star Erica Holland donated blood on Oct. 3 at Stanford Blood Center’s Hillview Donor Center at 3373 Hillview Avenue in Palo Alto. They also signed autographs, and Nicole even brought her Olympic gold medal! Wow!
Wednesday, September 24: Isn't she lovely?
Our new Bloodmobile went out on it's first blood drive this week. It took placeTuesday in Santa Clara. Special thanks to Nvidia for making our new Bloodmobile's first drive a success!
August 22, 2008»
Blood donors receive cool gifts! These folks were selected from a prize drawing to each receive a soccer ball autographed by the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team.
Proud blood donors Christina Glen and Ed Dujardin. Congrats!
August 11, 2008»
August 6, 2008: Bonding experience»
Mountain View Firefighters launched a highly successful, inaugural blood drive the week of July 21. A total of 10 fire fighters and staff donated blood at one of our three centers. Many thanks to all for their invaluable assistance in meeting the acute blood product needs of our community hospitals this summer!
Firefighters Erik Roth, Patricia Juergens, Ryan Santos,
and Zack Bond enjoying their visit to our Mountain View center!
IN THE NEWS:
Stanford Blood Center's own Dr. Dolly Tyan is featured on ABC for co-developing a procedure that will raise patients' chances of finding a suitable kidney donor. For thousands of patients on dialysis, IVIG therapy is a dream come true. One of those patients is Soraya Kohanzadeh, pictured above hugging Dr. Tyan, and featured on ABC 7 in this video »