Blood Drives
Blood Drives: Christmas in July - Fayetteville, TN
June 30th, 2011 9:17 AM
It may be a little early to think about the winter holidays, but it's never too early to give the gift of life. Get in the giving spirit a little early this year by joining us on Friday, July 15 at the square in Fayetteville, TN for Christmas in July, a community blood drive.
The event will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As the only provider of blood donations to Lincoln Medical Center, your one blood donation can give up to 3 patients in your area the gift of life. We'll have snacks and other refreshments, t-shirts and chances to win a few prizes as well.
For more information, please contact Tari-Lee Gates at (931) 461-5773.
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Lincoln County Health Systems
Elk Valley Times
Fayetteville-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce
Rotary Club
Kiwanis Club
Bank of Lincoln County
Lincoln County Government
City of Fayetteville Government
John Karby/Edward Jones
WEKR/WYTM
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Blood Drives: Bone Marrow Drive Honors Meredith Arp
June 7th, 2011 2:11 PM
By Lindsay Boyle, marketing intern
If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
Common answers might include a favorite actor or musician, or perhaps a religious figure or politician. Why? Because it could be interesting, enlightening, or maybe just fun.
Today, Meredith Arp is hoping to meet "her match." Why? Because it could save her life.
Arp, 26, is a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduate student who was recently diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia, a blood disorder in which the body's bone marrow fails to make enough new blood cells. The disease is very serious and potentially life-threatening, affecting only 1-2 people per year for every million people in the U.S. according to the American Cancer Society.
While Arp has received treatment through immunosuppressive therapy, which involves 4-6 days of hospitalization to receive horse serum treatments -- a process often accompanied by very painful and uncomfortable side effects -- the therapy is only a temporary treatment, not a cure.
A bone marrow transplant, however, can completely cure Aplastic Anemia patients by replacing their diseased marrow with healthy marrow stem cells. The "match" Arp is hoping for is a Human Leukocyte Antigen, or HLA, match -- someone who can donate their bone marrow and rid her of her disease.
After concluding that none of Arp's three siblings were a match, her family turned to the National Marrow Donor Program's Be the Match Registry in search of potential donors.
Be the Match facilitates over 5,200 transplants a year, and each transplant can potentially save the life of someone with leukemia, Aplastic Anemia, or another life-threatening condition.
Every year, an estimated 10,000 people in the U.S. need a marrow transplant and the Be the Match Registry strives to connect these patients with the nearly 16.5 million bone marrow donors registered worldwide.
Even though thousands of people are already registered with Be the Match, many more donors are needed so that patients, like Arp, who are still waiting for their match can be treated.
According to Carla Lewis, Bone Marrow representative with Blood Assurance, a personal connection with someone who needs a transplant often motivates people to sign up for the registry. In cases like Arp's, "The community goes through it with them," says Lewis, in reference to the donation process.
What Lewis has observed through her experience with Be the Match has indeed occurred among Arp's family and friends, as well as others in her community.
On June 1, 2011, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, the church Arp's family attends, hosted a blood and bone marrow donor drive as a way to build up the registry and hopefully find a match for Arp. Community members flocked to the church to sign up for the registry and donate blood.
The drive was largely organized by Sally Forrester, a member at Covenant Presbyterian, and Kerri Capehart, Arp's cousin. According to Arp's mother Lisa Hobbs, these two and many other individuals close to Arp felt they needed to do something to help find a donor for her.
"We've just had awesome support from our church, from our friends, and from our workplaces," says Hobbs, who also says that she has found a sense of purpose in spreading knowledge of Be the Match and encouraging those around her to register.
The donor drive was very successful, with 166 people joining the registry, some who had never heard of the program before Arp fell ill. And while most people who came were motivated to register because of Arp's condition, each one of them is now on the national registry and could potentially save the life of a patient in need.
Jennifer Holstine, who attended Girls Preparatory School with Arp, said that she had considered joining the registry before when several of her family members registered, but that hearing of her former classmate's condition finalized her decision.
"You never know when someone you know and care about it going to need it," said Holstine. "I hope that if I ever needed it someone would do it for me."
Sean Williams and Sam Wesson work with Arp's husband Matt at Terracon Consultants, and the pair came to the church together to sign up for Be the Match. Williams had never heard of the bone marrow registry before he learned of Arp's condition.
Both men said that while they would love to be a match for their co-worker's wife, the chance to help any person in need of bone marrow is exciting.
That type of attitude is exactly what the Be the Match Registry is looking for, and the registry is still in need of many more donors.
Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60, willing to donate to any patient in need, and meet the health guidelines, which can be found on the Be the Match website, www.bethematch.org.
Bone marrow donor drives are not the only way to sign up for the registry; interested individuals can also register online or at any Blood Assurance satellite or mobile location. Doing so is a chance to save the life of someone in need -- someone desperately hoping to meet "their match."
Top Photo- Representatives from Blood Assurance set up a registration table at Covenant Presbyterian Church for the marrow drive on June 1, 2011.
Middle Photo- A sign put together by members of Covenant Presbyterian Church welcomes potential donors to the drive. A total of 166 people joined the Be the Match registry at the drive.
Bottom Photo- Carla Lewis, Marrow Representative from Blood Assurance, collects Sam Wesson's completed registration paperwork.
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Blood Assurance, Inc. · 705 East 4th Street · Chattanooga, TN 37403 · (423) 756-0966