If it bleeds, it leads

Ray Malleck of Imperial, Nebraska, is pictured at the blood drive at First Baptist Church on June 1. — Jerel Domer | The Holyoke Enterprise

Holyoke High seniors Katelyn Kropp and Karlie Martin, this year's blood drive organizers, said that out of 54 available donor openings, 47 were filled, making this month's drive a success. — Jerel Domer | The Holyoke Enterprise

Depending on how fast a reader you are, by the time you finish this sentence there will be one or more people somewhere in the country in dire need of blood. According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the US needs a blood transfusion, and a single donation can save up to three lives.

Terry Hofmeister, Holyoke resident and City Commissioner, donated blood for the first time when his mother needed a transfusion during a cancer-related surgery. Since then, he has made donation a priority.

"I think all of us know somebody who's needed blood, or we’ve needed blood, either due to an accident or cancer, or something or other," Hofmeister said in an interview. "So I’ve been passionate about that. I’ve given throughout my life since about thirty, and I moved from state to state with my career, so I’ve given to many different blood banks."

Among those blood banks are Bon Fils, in Sterling, and Kentucky Blood Bank; Hofmeister lived in Kentucky for 5 years during his career with Marathon.

"KBB would come right onto our property inside the refinery and do a blood drive, so that was scheduled more or less every two months," he remembered. "So I would get employees who had never given blood and encourage them to do so."

Then five years ago, Hofmeister received some unexpected news: The Red Cross called him and told him his blood was missing something called the "CMV marker."

CMV is short for Cytomegalovirus, a common virus that research shows more than half of all adults have contracted by the age of 40. It usually involves no noticeable symptoms, and most adults who have it are never aware of it. However, it does pose a threat to infants, whose immune systems are more fragile. Therefore, it would be dangerous for an infant to receive a transfusion of blood containing CMV antibodies. This makes having CMV-free blood a big deal.

The Red Cross has only one other person on file in the whole North Platte region whose blood is missing this marker, despite statistics showing that 85% of people have the CMV marker, which means 15%, still a significant portion, don't.

Of course, there are many other variables at play that dictate whether a person can donate blood and who can receive it: the donor's health and weight, their iron level, whether they have rolling veins, their blood type, etc. Nevertheless, with 15% of adults missing the CMV marker, it seems highly likely that there are more than two people in the region who's blood could be used for infant transfusions.

"So they’re trying to find the people that don't have [the marker], but the only way you’re going to know is if you go give blood," Hofmeister said.

The clinic keeps each donor's information on file, and there is an app called "The American Red Cross Blood Donor" that you can use to access it easily. As of a few years ago, you can even see which hospital your blood is sent to. Hofmeister's donations have found their way to hospitals in many states including Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and of course, Colorado.

"You know somebody somewhere needs it," Hofmeister continued. "So if you have something to give, why not? It costs you nothing, just a few minutes of your time. But if you’re on the receiving end and needed something, wouldn't you want it to be there?"

Hofmeister is adamant about making his appointments, particularly due to the special contribution he can make toward helping infants.

"So after you give blood you reschedule," he said, "and I try to do everything I can to be there. I’ve left commissioner meetings, I’ve done a lot of things just to make sure I make my appointment. Because the thought of being able to save somebody's child, you know, a newborn; it takes precedent regardless of what you’re doing. And you know, why me? I have no clue."

Michelle Van Overbeke is another local regular donor who can see how much the benefits of donation out-weigh the drawbacks. She, like Hofmeister, has had personal experience with a loved one needing blood.

"My dad has MDS, which is a blood disease, so he relies on transfusions and he’ll die without them," Van Overbeke said. "Some people are just afraid of the experience, I think, and don't like the idea of the inconvenience. I think if they really knew the need, we’d have plenty of blood. Right now they’re always short."

In Van Overbeke's experience, donating is hardly an ordeal.

"I would say it takes about exactly an hour, once you’re in the system and everything. You make your appointment and do your rapid pass, you go in and they check you in and within a couple minutes they take you back. It only takes me about five minutes for the actual donation, and I don't feel any effects from it, maybe because I know the benefit way out-weighs the inconvenience."

She added that Holyoke residents are in a great area for donating, as the donation site is very close, unlike in bigger cities where it can be more trouble to get to.

"The people that come here are the same ones pretty much every time, and they’re very good at taking the donation. And it's kind of a social thing, you know, you see people."

"Yeah, you can visit with your neighbor while you’re giving blood," Hofmeister agreed.

"For sure," Van Overbeke said. "And you know, Holyoke's strength is community. In this time of divisiveness it's just one more way that we show that we’re a community. I think we take it for granted; I don't think we realize what it's like in other communities where people are kind of afraid of each other. We need to keep that familiarity with each other."

Van Overbeke noted that when her father gets his regular transfusion, his energy level shoots up, reminding her how much he depends on it.

Holyoke resident Stacey Krogmeier also has a father who would not be alive if it weren't for blood transfusions.

"Last summer my father, over in Venango, had a bleeding ulcer," Krogmeier said. "He collapsed, I found him and called an ambulance, and he ended up needing, I think, seven units of blood. And they told me he's not going to make it. Well he did make it, he's alive and doing better than he was, and it's because he had blood donations."

Krogmeier is unable to donate blood herself, but like Hofmeister and Van Overbeke, she is passionate about encouraging those who can to do so.

As it happens, donating blood doesn't only help the recipients; there are a variety of benefits for the donor as well. Firstly, you get a free mini physical: your pulse, blood pressure, and iron levels are all checked, and you are screened for infectious diseases you may not know about. You also learn your blood type, which can be beneficial if you ever need surgery or find yourself in a medical situation where transfusion is required.

When you donate, you are reducing the level of iron in your blood, decreasing your blood's viscosity, which in turn lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, regular donors between the ages of 43 and 61 suffer less heart attacks than those who don't donate.

It has also been noted by medical professionals that donating has an additional benefit for men in particular, as they don't have a natural cycle that replenishes their blood. Men also make good donors because they can give blood every 12 weeks, while women have to wait for 16 weeks to protect their iron levels.

"I do wish more people would do it," Van Overbeke said. "It's, like, the most pure thing. You know, people that can, do, and then the people who need it are just at their mercy. And there's no exchange of money or anything like that. It's just a pure act of charity to somebody else that you never meet."