At this winter's blood drive we had 22 people come in and make 17 donations. Donors received calendars and certificates for a free half-hour massage.

The American Red Cross, our new partners, run regular blood drives at the Ray Meyer Center across the street on Sheffield Avenue. Upcoming drives there will be held on: February 6th, April 3rd & 4th, June 19th & 20th.

We deeply appreciate those of you who were willing to roll up your sleeves and give a part of yourselves so that other people could receive the help they need. Thank you!

ID Required (see below)

Appointments are recommended but walk-ins are welcome. To schedule an appointment or for more information please visit American Red Cross - Give Blood or contact Leslie Linke at linke55@hotmail.com or at the Parish Office.

• At least 17 years old. There is no upper age limit!
• Minimum 110 pounds.
• In good health (no cold or flu symptoms).

Most medications will not keep you from donating. If you are deferred for iron, it is usually temporary. It’s easy, and it only takes about an hour. Prepare for your donation: eat well, stay hydrated, bring your id.

An ID is required to donate blood. Any of the following methods is acceptable:

• Drivers License / Learners Permit / State ID / military ID.
• Employee badge with picture and full name.
• Birth certificate along with a picture ID that includes the donor's full name.

Did you know. . .

• 4.5 million Americans would die each year without life-saving blood transfusions.
• 9 out of 10 of us will require blood at some point during our lives, yet fewer than 3% of eligible donors in Chicago regularly donate. That’s way lower than the national average of 5%!
• You can safely donate one pint of blood every eight weeks (56 days), or six times a year.
• Just one blood donation can help save three lives! (That’s eighteen lives per year if you donate every eight weeks!)
• Every day, more than 1,500 donor volunteers are needed just to meet patient demand in the LifeSource service area.

As we know, many lives are saved by blood donated at hospitals and local blood drives. Maybe one of those lives saved is yours or that of a loved one.

Share your stories with us or tell us how important donating blood can be. Be the inspiration for other future blood donors. Contact us with your story by calling 773-583-7863 or emailing llinke55@hotmail.com.

Parish Health Team:
Karyn Holm, PhD RN, Susie McNulty, BSN, Leslie Linke, MA CCC SLP.

In September of 2001, my husband and I drove to the hospital for the birth of our second child. We were happy and excited and eager to hold her in our arms. We were also hopeful that this labor would be shorter and less difficult than our first. Tragically, it was neither. My uterus ruptured catastrophically during delivery. I lost so much blood so quickly that our beautiful daughter went without oxygen for too long, and though they worked on her for 45 minutes, they were unable to save her.

It is impossible for me to convey in words what it feels like to lose a child; the pain is indescribable. But this pain was nearly magnified by the loss of my own life. Every doctor who spoke to me after my emergency caesarean told me that I was very lucky to be alive. I nearly bled to death on the operating table because of the severity of the rupture. My husband, who had to endure being told, without me by his side, about the loss of our daughter, also had to endure my three-hour surgery, all the while wondering whether or not I would live. Worst of all, my then 5-year-old son very nearly lost his mother.

Sometimes I think that all that kept me alive on that operating table was the awareness, as I succumbed to the power of the anesthesia, that I was desperately needed, that I had a five-year-old to raise. But I know that the reality is that I was saved by the skill of my doctors and the availability of blood. I received five units of blood that day. I would not be alive today were it not for the fact that five people rolled up their sleeves and donated blood. You have the power to save someone’s mother. You, too, can roll up your sleeve and donate a pint of blood. Please use that power. Donate blood, and go home with the knowledge that you probably helped to save a life — perhaps even two or three lives.