A life saver
Gulliver woman dependent on blood transfusions to stay alive;
January is Blood Donor Awareness Month
Every 10 days, Sandra Price of Gulliver
drives to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital in Manistique.
It’s a trip she doesn’t look forward to making. Yet, in order for
her to live, it’s a trip she must make.
At Schoolcraft Memorial, the 63-year-old Price undergoes red blood cell transfusions,
a process that takes anywhere from five to six hours. To date, she has had
more than 35.
Schoolcraft Memorial is one of 12 Upper Peninsula hospitals that participate
with the U.P. Regional Blood
Center based at Marquette General Hospital.
“I’m transfusion-dependent, and I get tired very easily,” Price
said. “I can’t do a lot of the things I used to be able to do, like
bowling and hunting. It’s kind of frustrating.”
In early October 2003, Price visited her family practice physician, Dr. Leonard
Mooi, for a routine yearly physical. Her blood count was low, which precipitated
a visiting specialist to order a bone marrow biopsy a few days later. She
was diagnosed with MDS, or myelodysplastic syndrome, a collection of disorders
in which the bone marrow does not produce enough blood cells. Bone marrow
produces
three major components of blood: red blood cells (which carry oxygen to the
body), white blood cells (which help the body fight infections), and platelets
(which help blood clot). In Price’s case, her bone marrow wasn’t
producing enough red blood cells.
“I didn’t know anything was wrong. I was tired, but that was it,” she
said. “Doctors don’t know how I got it.”
Patients with MDS have a risk of the disease progressing to acute myelogenous
leukemia. Symptoms vary depending on the individual and the extent of the
disease. Typical symptoms include weakness, fatigue, frequent infections, easy
bruising,
bleeding, fever, weight loss, and a sense of feeling full.
The exact cause of MDS isn’t known. Exposure to excessive radiation,
some toxic chemicals, certain medicines, and viral infections may cause MDS
in some people. Many experts believe that a genetic evolution occurs in patients
with MDS. The first step involves an "attack" on hematopoietic stem
cells, which are actively dividing cells that produce blood cells. The second
step is characterized by ineffective blood cell production and typically a
high rate of cell death. The third step, called malignant transformation, is
characterized by the increase in leukemia blast cells.
Price knows that if not for the generosity of people who donate blood, she
would not be alive today.
“I know I need all the blood I can get,” she said.
January is recognized nationally as Blood Donor Awareness Month. Although the
need for blood always exists, blood centers are most urgently in short supply
after the holidays.
The Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center, based at Marquette General, experiences
an ongoing need for all types of blood and platelet donations. It currently
is in dire need of A negative and O negative blood.
“It’s during this time of year that the number of donations decline
while the demand continues or increases,” said Sallie Coron, mobile blood
drive coordinator at the Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center based at Marquette
General Hospital. “We are always in need of blood. Many people don’t
realize that some patients like Sandra Price need repeated transfusions, while
others may need several units of blood during surgery or to survive a trauma.”
Price’s need for blood has escalated from monthly to ever 10 days. In
addition to the transfusions, she receives a chemotherapy shot once a day for
a week and then rests her body for three weeks. She’s hopeful the chemotherapy
regime will improve her health, but knows that a lifetime of transfusions will
ultimately keep her alive.
Because of Price’s age, a bone marrow transplant is out of the question.
The risk of MDS increases with age, as the disease most commonly affects people
between the ages of 58 to 75.
“It’s frustrating, and I get real short-winded easily,” said
Price, who was working as a waitress at the time she was diagnosed.
To be eligible to donate blood, a person must be in good health and generally
must be at least 17 years of age. Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds.
All donors must pass the physical and health history examinations given prior
to
donation.
The Blood Center conducts blood drives throughout the U.P. on an ongoing
basis to enable as many people as possible to donate blood. In addition to
the Marquette
facility, full-time Blood Center donation sites are located in Escanaba (Phone
906-786-8420), Iron Mountain (906-774-1012) and Hancock (906-483-1392).
To donate blood or to arrange for a blood drive, call 225-4610 or 1-800-591-4483.
For more information on the U.P. Regional Blood Center, visit its web site
at www.mgh.org/blood/blood.html.
