Published by Kirby Winn on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in News Releases
ImpactLife is calling for additional platelet donors to help meet patient needs through the weeks of late summer. Beginning July 29 and continuing through August 18, the blood center will increase the value of its donor promotion for platelet donors by $20. To schedule, please call (800) 747-5401, schedule online at www.bloodcenter.org, or via the ImpactLife mobile app (www.bloodcenter.org/app).
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Through August 18, platelet donors making their first or second platelet donation with ImpactLife will now receive:
- $70 as an electronic gift card OR
- 4000 points to use in the Donor Rewards Store OR
- an equivalent value donation to Make-A-Wish Illinois, Make-A-Wish Iowa, Make-A-Wish Missouri, or Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.
Platelet donors who have previously made two or more donations with ImpactLife will now receive:
- $45 as an electronic gift card OR
- 2500 points to use in the Donor Rewards Store OR
- an equivalent value donation to Make-A-Wish Illinois, Make-A-Wish Iowa, Make-A-Wish Missouri, or Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.
Platelet Donors Make A Difference!
When Ruby, at age two, first experienced bruising and fatigue due to neuroblastoma, she received platelets from volunteer donors to combat her symptoms. Her parents, Stephen and Renae Bradd, recall the early days of her treatment in the video, below:
When Ruby was first diagnosed, doctors told her parents she had a 10 to 20% chance of being alive in five years after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma. But her successful treatment, which included more than 60 platelet transfusions, allowed Ruby to reach five years in late July, and she shows no signs of cancer. Family and friends in Ruby’s hometown now hold blood drives in her honor and to support other patients in need of blood and platelet donations.
See the "Rally For Ruby" story here
When are platelet transfusions used?
According to the American Cancer Society, 46% of platelet transfusion recipients have a type of cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow, and/or lymph nodes. (Reference: U.S. Blood Donation Statistics from America’s Blood Centers.) Patients with cancer might need platelet transfusions if their bone marrow is not making enough platelets. This can happen when chemotherapy or other cancer treatments damage the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. It can also happen in certain blood cancers (like leukemias) when cancer cells in the bone marrow crowd out normal blood cells.
Some people can develop a condition called thrombocytopenia, or a low platelet count, due to cancer or other underlying causes. Patients with thrombocytopenia might bruise easily, experience internal bleeding, or be unable to stop bleeding because their body doesn’t produce enough platelets. Platelets are frequently given to patients with thrombocytopenia, and with patients in treatment for cancer, for open heart surgery, organ and bone marrow transplants, and with victims of trauma.
BLOG: Platelet Donation 101
Platelet donation process
Platelet donations are made through a process called apheresis (AY fir EE sis), which refers to equipment at the side of the donation chair that separates blood components. During the donation, a small quantity of blood is drawn from the donor into a centrifuge that separates the components of blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma). Platelets are diverted into the collection bag and the remaining components are returned to the donor. This process is repeated until the appropriate volume of platelets are collected. This can take an hour more, depending on the donor’s platelet count and other factors.
![platelet recipient story]()
About ImpactLife
ImpactLife is a nonprofit community organization providing blood services to more than 120 hospitals and emergency medical service providers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, as well as resource sharing partners across the country. The blood center operates 23 Donor Centers and holds approximately 5000 mobile blood drives annually to provide blood components needed by hospitals and in pre-hospital emergency response throughout our region.
For more information on blood inventories and donor promotions, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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