Pre-Memorial Day Drive
Help ensure the local blood supply for this Memorial Day Weekend.
MAY 24 - 25, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Pre-Memorial Day Drive, sponsored by 100.9 Bob FM
Texas Blood Institute donor center
3709 Gregory St., Suite 109, Wichita Falls
Schedule an appointment today!
Each donor receives FREE:
- A coupon for 2-piece mixed chicken combo meal from Golden Chick
- A pint of ice cream from Blue Bell Ice Cream for first 50 donors
- A voucher for 2 TICKETS to the OKC Zoo & zoo-themed T-shirt for each donor
- Health screenings
- Donor Rewards points
Open Arms for Children
In May, donors who forgo the “go cup” offered when they give, can help the Children’s Miracle Network affiliate, United Regional. Children’s Miracle Network is charged with making sure that if a child needs care, it can be provided close to home.
Donations help to fund
- care for all children, regardless of illness, injury or the family’s ability to pay,
- medical equipment,
- community outreach programs,
- hospital expansion,
- medical research and
- education programs regarding preventative care.
Our 2011 Contributors
In 2011, Texas Blood Institute received several significant gifts to support our needs. We would like to recognize those major gifts and thank everyone who made a contribution of any amount. Your generosity helps us meet the needs of the communities we serve.
- $115,000 - Priddy Foundation
- $ 20,000 - James N McCoy Foundation
- $ 20,000 - J.S. Bridwell Foundation
- $ 20,000 - Bryant Edwards Foundation
- $ 10,000 - Fain Foundation
Oklahoma Blood Institute and its affiliate’s Texas Blood Institute and Arkansas Blood Institute also received:
- $ 30,000 - Kerr Foundation
- $ 24,596 - James McFarland Estate
- $ 20,000 - Herman G. Kaiser Foundation
- $ 15,000 - Dr. Donald Halverstadt
Whether you can give $100,000 or $5, all donations make a huge difference in helping us fulfill our mission. If all of our blood donors contributed just $5 a year, we would nearly triple the life-saving total listed above. We ask everyone who is inspired or touched by the miracle of blood transfusion to contribute.
Contributions can be made online or by mail to Attn: Gary Lynch, Development, OBI, 1001 N. Lincoln Blvd., OKC, OK 73104. Contact Gary at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 405-297-5545.
Grateful Mom Seeks Out Son’s Donor
Jaylen Glover, Oklahoma City, is an active toddler. But during the first months of his life, his health was in jeopardy.
Jaylen suffered from repeated episodes of fever, spiking at 103 degrees. Several doctor visits yielded no answers. One day, his mother, Latasha Stevenson, found Jaylen looking “lifeless.”
Latasha rushed Jaylen to The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, where he spent the next three days in the intensive care unit. According to Latasha, Jaylen’s hemoglobin count was dangerously low. He needed a blood transfusion.
Though the reason behind Jaylen’s condition remains a mystery, he has fully recovered. Latasha credits the blood transfusion from our donors with saving Jaylen’s life. As he grew, Latasha wanted to thank those whose blood had been given to her son.
With Latasha’s approval, we obtained medical records and matched them to ours. Melody Foutty, a Geary resident, was identified as Jaylen’s donor. Latasha and Jaylen were able to meet Melody in person and express their gratitude for Melody’s life-saving gift.
Schedule your life-saving donation at our donor center in Wichita Falls or at a mobile drive near you.
All On A Blood Bag
When you or someone you love is receiving a blood transfusion, you can rest assured that blood delivered to the 8 Texas hospitals we serve meets the highest FDA and industry standards. The universal blood bag labeling system outlined below ensures that recipients are getting the precise type of blood needed. It also indicates that the blood product has passed rigorous testing and screening in our labs.
New System Protects ID & Speeds Check-In
To better safeguard our donors’ identities and speed up the registration process, our donor centers are now using the BIO-key finger scan system. This replaces less secure, less convenient identification forms that can be easily replicated or compromised.
Here’s how it works:
- Register to donate as before, providing your contact and health information.
- When you touch the scanner pad, BIO-key software records a template of your finger outline and unique patterns.
- BIO-key matches registration information to your finger scan.
- With each returning donation, a simple finger scan re-establishes and verifies the registration information using the extremely accurate BIO-key software. The image of the finger is not kept by OBI; but rather data is stored as a unique number that is determined by the finger lines and patterns.
Biometrics are commonly used today to provide a more convenient, secure method to establish someone’s identity. It is used within a number of industries, such as school lunch programs, workplace security systems and financial institutions. Our primary goal is to improve service to our blood donors and reduce costs to the 162 medical facilities we serve.
Schedule your life-saving donation at our donor center in Wichita Falls or at a mobile drive near you.
Marrow Donor Touches Life ‘Down Under’
What began with a desire to help a friend resulted in hope for a family an ocean away.
Linda Sexton, Norman, registered through Oklahoma Blood Institute as a potential marrow donor in 1997. She was inspired when she learned a colleague was in need of a marrow transplant. Though she wasn’t a match for her friend, she was contacted in 2004. After thorough testing at OBI in collaboration with the international marrow registry, she was selected as the match for a 4-month-old in Australia.
Rhiannon Carson had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was given less than a year to live. However, because of Linda’s decision seven years prior, Rhiannon would receive the lifesaving marrow she needed.
Linda’s marrow donation was performed at OU Medical Center and sent to Australia, where Rhiannon underwent her marrow transplant at 8 months old. Her recovery has been steady, and she has grown to be an active, bright and outgoing little girl.
Linda was allowed to forward a teddy bear and card to Rhiannon. But the communication did not end there. Rhiannon’s parents wanted to know the person who had helped their daughter. The two families were allowed to exchange names and became acquainted through emails and phone conversations. Last fall, Linda and her husband John traveled to Australia to meet Rhiannon and her family.
“It’s humbling, to know she wouldn’t be alive today except for this type of medical intervention,” said Linda. “We’re family now. There’s a connection there that won’t be broken.”
You, too, can be a match. To learn more about registering as a marrow donor, contact our marrow program coordinator at 405-297-5593.
Learn more about our Marrow Program.
Open Arms Heal Hearts
Choose to forgo the donor appreciation item now through April 30, and funds designated for this item will be directed to our partnering organization, the American Heart Association.
Texas Blood Institute and the American Heart Association (AHA) share a common goal, to keep people healthy. The American Heart Association wants everyone to know their numbers and act on them. That’s the first step in changing cardiovascular health statistics. Because blood donors receive a mini health check, including blood pressure and cholesterol results, every time they come to donate, those numbers are readily available to each donor.
Schedule your life-saving donation today, and learn your numbers!
FEEL RENEWED. GIVE BLOOD.
As you enjoy the rebirth of nature this Spring, do your part to renew lives by giving blood.
When you give now through May, you’ll receive a good-to-go travel tumbler in appreciation, OR you can choose to forgo the tumbler, and redirect its cost to support the American Heart Association through April, and local children’s hospitals in May.
Schedule an appointment, today!
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About the newsletter
Texas Blood Institute’s mission is to be the donor-to-patient lifeline; providing our communities and medical partners security by meeting transfusion and health care needs.
The Pulse newsletter was developed to keep our donors, communities and medical partners better informed. You will see stories of donors and patients, updates on our progress and ways you can help. Staying in touch with our blood donors is critical to our life-saving mission.
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