Before his death in 2014, Crossland was diagnosed with cancer and received blood transfusions as a part of his recovery. He devoted his life to his family, friends and community and was awarded a plaque by the Red Cross for his donations.
This blood drive comes as the Red Cross faces an emergency blood shortage and is issuing an urgent call for blood and platelet donors to give now so patients can continue to receive the lifesaving treatment they need. Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. More donations are immediately needed to help replenish the blood supply.
The Blood Loyal
Every two seconds in the United States blood is needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals nationwide.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
In August 2020, Boelkens passed away at age 78. During his lifetime, he was a passionate blood donor donating over 110 pints of lifesaving blood. John was an active member of the Mt. Carroll community and was a past City Alderman along with being a member of the Community Development Corporation. He loved to volunteer wherever he could and regularly volunteered at Red Cross blood drives sponsored by the Church of God.
Every two seconds in the United States blood is needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood and more than 2,600 platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,500 hospitals nationwide.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
The 13.1 million units of whole blood and red blood cells transfused in 2013 represented a 4.4 percent decline compared with 2011, a recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.
Yes! Your points survived the move to our new loyalty store. Your points are still worth as much as they were before. Plus, any points you accrued during the temporary closure of the loyalty store will now appear in your point total!
Nebraska Community Blood Bank partners with Calusa Marketing to manage distribution of gift cards for our blood donors. Using Calusa as our vendor allows us to offer donors a variety of choices when redeeming your gift card. Your information is protected; Calusa does not sell or use your information in any other manner.
Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB) is a division of New York Blood Center, Inc. a not-for-profit corporation. NCBB has been saving lives in our communities since 1968 as an independent nonprofit blood center.
It hardly comes as a surprise that blood makes you related, but loyalty makes you family. Growing up, I always saw all of my relatives tear each other apart or taking sides instead of sticking together. And I am sure many of you can relate to this. So, I realized a long time ago I had to build my own circle.
Do you have relatives who you rarely speak with, or hardly ever see? Why is loyalty more important than family? Can you trust people who are involved firmly in your life? Do you have friends that understand your goals, and are there when you need them most?
As a child, you are taught that no matter what, you always have to choose your family first. But then, over the years, you realize that the people who afflict most of the pain on you are not the ones you do not know, but those you often trust the most. All blood does is make you related, but it is loyalty that makes a real family.
If I could give only one suggestion before going any further, it is always to trust your gut instincts. So, if you feel something is wrong, it usually is. And if I decided to talk about this subject today, it is because, throughout the years, I realize that my blood-related family was never there for me, but that a few friends were and still are.
The idea of a family can be interpreted in so many different ways. It can go from your parents who gave you, life, to brothers and sisters, down to all other blood-related relatives. But it can also be defined as your close friends. It is the people in your life that inspire you to be better and usually care about what happens to you.
And yes, it can be friends, comrades, blood-relations, in-laws, and the like. It is your choice, your life, as long as they are with you always. You and your relatives are connected by blood, but it does not always mean trust and love and loyalty. And at times, such feelings, when given, might not even be real.
So, the original definition of a family no longer applies today. You should never feel bad or have to explain why you choose loyalty over blood relatives at times. There is no need for excuses if you want to remove the people who do not treat you the way you deserve out of your life.
Therefore, just like loyalty, a family has to be like a rock. I never had the best father, brother or real loving relatives. There were only two relatives that counted for me in my life, and that was my mother, and my grandfather. The rest treated me like trash, drove me nuts and considered me as a total stranger after 30 years living around the globe.
While living in the USA, my wealth grew steadily, so my brother or aunt contacted me for help when having financial problems. I gladly helped, even if I did not hear from them for years. But then one day, I got into some struggle and needed aid, yet when called upon, none of my blood relatives ever responded.
Some people claim to be one thing and are in reality another. When given a chance to stand up and show what they claimed to be, they run the other way or do the complete opposite. The persons I can count on in this world, I can total them on the one hand. It takes courage to be loyal!
If you are like me, some people will be the most loyal friends you will have your entire life. Real family is made to build you up and not tear you down. They are there to support you in all you do, even if they do not always agree entirely with your choices.
So, if some people are always there and would go to the end of the world for you, it shows family. Blood does not play much importance, loyalty does. Just the act of being there and being loyal makes you part of what a family means.
And it is why loyalty plays a significant role. Do what is right! You do not want someone in your life just because you are related. But you want them because you have built a relationship on a stronger foundation, and that is something more significant than your family name.
It is sad that disloyal family or friends will now miss out on all the good things that are happening in my life and all the future events that are about to take place. I have forgiven them, but I will never forget. Lesson learned!
In the end, a family is not a title; it is loyalty, love, trust, respect, and relying on and knowing without a doubt that some people will be there for you. So blood might make you related, but it should not mean a thing to you. And it positively should not be defined as the only reason for a family.
Diagnosis of diabetes in a cat can be challenging because cats can have elevated blood glucose levels just from stress. Also, common clinical signs such as increased drinking and increased urination can be seen with other conditions, such as kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. Other symptoms include weight loss, increased or decreased appetite, and an abnormal stance.
Periodic checking of blood glucose levels is necessary, especially in a newly diagnosed patient. Monitoring can be performed at home with a glucometer specifically for cats and dogs. Your veterinarian would provide you with a blood glucose monitoring schedule. Please visit the AlphaTrak website for more information on how to use an at home glucometer. You can also view this video
Your veterinarian may also perform a 12-24 hour glucose curve, during which insulin is administered intermittently and blood glucose is measured to establish the type of insulin and dosing frequency that best controls blood glucose while avoiding inappropriately low blood glucose levels.
In mild cases of hypoglycemia (low glucose) you may only observe wobbling, or a drunken walk. Always take a blood glucose reading if you are worried and offer your pet a meal. Low glucose is a medical emergency!
To be honest: we are not completely sure. With a lack of data-driven campaign evaluations in many blood banks, it is difficult to determine on the impact of recruitment campaigns on donor loyalty. Campaigns are typically evaluated by the same mechanism as what designs them: intuition. Does it feel good? Do we receive positive feedback? Than it must have been a great success. Yet, impact evaluations should not be guided by the subjectivity of the public, but by the objectivity of the data. 2ff7e9595c
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