Thank you, San Juan Island community, for rolling up your sleeves.

On behalf of patients in our community’s hospitals, I wish to extend our thanks. During your blood drive on Sept. 24, Puget Sound Blood Center registered 71 donors and collected 61 units of blood. This will benefit up to 183 patients.

Special thanks to Curt Van Hyning for organizing the drive, the San Juan Lions Club for their assistance and blood drive sponsorship, and the San Juan Grange for providing the blood drive location.

Each weekday, 900 people must donate blood to meet the needs of patients in western Washington hospitals. Your blood drive has played an important role in helping meet that goal.

The following patients are just a few of the many who have received blood from Puget Sound Blood Center in the past few days. The blood was available for them, thanks to blood drives like yours:

— 9-year-old patient (liver transplant) has been issued 33 units red blood cells, 3 units platelets, 20 units plasma and 3 cryoprecipitate pools.

— 30-year-old patient (obstetric bleeding) has been issued 22 units red blood cells, 3 units platelets and 4 cryoprecipitate pools.

— 60-year-old patient (motor vehicle accident) has been issued 20 units red blood cells, 1 unit platelets, 12 units plasma and 1 cryoprecipitate pool.

— 25-year-old patient (fall, multiple trauma) has used 32 units red blood cells, 20 units plasma and 3 unit platelets.

— 29-year-old patient (open heart surgery) has been issued 35 units red blood cells, 34 units plasma, 8 unit platelets and 2 cryoprecipitate pools.

Next blood drive date is Dec. 10.

Carol Rondello
Puget Sound Blood Center