GIFT OF HOPE
Suzie Sturm looked up at every bag of blood and simply said thank you.
After years of unexplained symptoms, then a diagnosis of liver failure, Suzie received 140 units of blood during her treatment before receiving a liver transplant in 2016. What happened after is a story she tells better than we ever could.
We will let her take it from here.
GOING GREEN, ONE DONATION AT A TIME
This Earth Day, we're proud to share two ways we are doing our part for the planet.
First, our new OrSense technology significantly reduces the amount of waste generated during the donation process. When you multiply that across hundreds of thousands of donations every year, it adds up to a meaningful difference.
Second, say goodbye to the plastic donor ID card in your wallet. Donor IDs are now digital and live right in the app, always on your phone and always ready when you are. For first-time donors, that means finding out their donor ID number and blood type right away, no more waiting four to six weeks for something to arrive in the mail. We were sending tens of thousands of physical cards every year. Not anymore.
Two changes. One greener mission.
THE NEXT GENERATION
Blood donation is born in high school. At UMSL, it grows up.
Last week, our team was on campus at the University of Missouri St. Louis for a spring blood drive at the Millennium Student Center, connecting with the next generation of donors through our ABO Initiative. The ABO Initiative is our way of meeting college students where they are and building lasting relationships with university partners around the importance of blood donation.
The students who roll up their sleeves today are the lifelong donors of tomorrow. UMSL showed us they are ready.
ILLINOIS QC HIGH SCHOOL CHALLENGE
One donor. That is all that separated first place from second in the first ever QC Battle for Blood High School Challenge.
After a month of friendly competition across three Quad Cities high schools, Illinois' United Township High School came out on top with 63 points, edging out Moline High School at 62 and Rock Island High School at 58. The trophy and year-long bragging rights belong to the Panthers.
But here is the thing about a competition this close: everybody won. Every donation collected across all three schools means a patient somewhere got the blood they needed. That is what this was always about.
Congratulations to United Township, and a huge thank you to Moline and Rock Island for making the first QC Battle for Blood one worth remembering.
IT'S VOLUNTEER WEEK!
This week, we celebrated the people who show up for our mission without ever being asked twice.
National Volunteer Week is a call to highlight the essential role played by ImpactLife volunteers. Our Vital to Life volunteers assist donors, deliver lifesaving products to hospitals, and support our team behind the scenes. Our volunteer Associate Boards are dedicated young professionals who spend their time building awareness and growing our donor community across the region. Every single one of them makes a difference every single day.
HAPPY LAB WEEK!
This week, we are recognizing the team members who make every donation count before it ever reaches a patient.
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week is a chance to celebrate the skilled individuals who test, process, and release every unit of blood with precision and care. Without their work behind the scenes, the donation never becomes the lifesaving product it is meant to be. They do not always get the spotlight, but none of this works without them.