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Mile Bluff Medical Center to hold events in honor of Donate Life Month By Amanda Emery
April has been
designated as National Donate Life Month in an
Throughout the year, Mile Bluff hosts a number of community blood drive. The events are a partnership between the Blood Center of Wisconsin - the sole supplier of blood and its components to Mile Bluff - and the medical center. There is always a good turnout of employees and community members who come to show their support and make donations. However, for one husband and wife team employed at Mile Bluff, the blood drives have taken on a new meaning in the past six months. Because of the generosity of donors - like those who attend the blood drives at Mile Bluff - Dave and Rhonda Roalkvam were able to spend one special month with Lydia, their infant granddaughter. At birth Lydia was diagnosed with pulmonary hypoplasia - a condition where her lungs had not completely formed. She would spend the next month in the hospital and receive 50 units of blood. After a courageous fight, Lydia passed away after one month of life. Dave, Rhonda and their entire family are very thankful for the gift of blood that kept Lydia alive and fighting during her life. Rhonda had this to say about the precious donations her granddaughter received, “I don’t think people fully realize what that one hour out of their lives may mean to another family or individual until they experience a loved one in a situation like the one Lydia was in. It was because of these selfless donors that our family was able to experience what time we did have with Lydia. I encourage everyone who is able to give to do so. Making that donation could make the difference to someone because it sure did for our family.” Each donation made at Mile Bluff could touch the lives of up to three people in our community. With the demands for blood at an estimated 38,000 units each day across the country, the need is real and the time is now! At the most recent blood drive held at Mile Bluff on March 16, generous donors did their part to make an impact on our local blood supply. Fifty five donors gave a total of 44 units of blood, two units of platelets and two units of dual red cells during this drive. If you were not able to attend the last blood drive at Mile Bluff, you have another opportunity to give a life-saving gift on Monday, April 19 from 9 am to 2 pm. Representatives from the Blood Center of Wisconsin will be back for another blood drive, and the Pheresis Platelet machine and the Dual Red machine will be on-site during the event as well. Giving blood is just one - and the most common - way you can help someone who needs the gift of life. Join Mile Bluff in celebrating April as National Donate Life Month. Sign up today to give a blood donation on Monday, April 19 that may just have an impact on someone you love. To reserve your spot, call the Blood Center of Wisconsin at 1-888-310-7555, or use the sign-up sheet in the dining room at Mile Bluff.
Requirements for being a blood donor: * Must be 17 years or older (16-year-olds can donate with parental consent) * Must weigh at least 110 pounds * Should be free of any cold, flu or allergy symptoms the day of donation * Must not have had hepatitis after age 11 * Should not have any risk factors associated with HIV or AIDS * Must know the names and doses of all of the medications you take (most prescriptions are acceptable)
Tips to remember the day you donate: * Bring along a photo ID such as a drivers license. * Drink plenty of fluids prior to and following your donation. * Eat a nutritious meal prior to and following donating. * Following your donation, avoid strenuous physical exercise until the next day.
To close out National Donate Life Month, Mile Bluff will be hosting an organ and tissue donation fair on April 29 and will have a special quilt on display throughout the last week of April as well. Watch for further details. Photo Caption: Stan Macheichok (Laboratory director at Mile Bluff) and Rhonda Roalkvam stand with a poster that was on display in the lobby of Mile Bluff Medical Center during the recent blood drive on March 16. The infant featured on the poster is Rhonda’s granddaughter Lydia. Thanks to people like those who come to give blood at Mile Bluff, Rhonda was able to spend one special month with Lydia before she passed away. The next blood drive at Mile Bluff will be held on Monday, April 19 from 9 am to 2 pm. Hope to see you there! |
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Mile Bluff Medical Center/ 1050 Division St./ Mauston, WI 53948 / 608 847 6161 Mile Bluff Medical Center, 1050 Division Street, Mauston, WI 53948 608 847 6161 or Toll free in WI at 800 252 4377 © 2008 Mile Bluff Medical Center |
effort
to spread awareness about how you can do your part and become a donor. The
month also celebrates those affected by donation - the donors and their families
who have given the gift of life. Each year there are tens of thousands of lives
saved and enhanced through donation. To help in the efforts, Mile Bluff Medical
Center in Mauston will be holding two special events in honor of National Donate
Life Month.