Out of the Heat and Into the Bloodmobile

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Zach Jacobs
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  One could say that phlebotomists - medical personnel who specialize in taking blood samples - give the most unusual compliments to people they meet.

"You have very nice veins."

"Your plasma has a nice tint to it!"

But "thank you" was possibly the most important thing that workers of the Oklahoma Blood Institute gave to those they met here.

Airmen and civilians from the 507th Air Refueling Wing and the 513th Air Control Group braved the Oklahoma heat to donate their blood at a mobile blood drive on July 20.

And four phlebotomists, equipped with computers, saline bags, specialized equipment, snacks, drinks, and, of course, needles, drew more than 15 units of blood or red blood cells to help replenish the local blood supply.

Inside the OBI's Bloodmobile, donors enjoyed air conditioning, cold drinks, snacks, movies, shelter from the stifling outside heat, and the feeling of being able to help save lives.

Staff Sgt. Bruce Hammond of the 507th Medical Squadron was not only a donor that day, but also had served on the board of directors for OBI's Ardmore, Okla., chapter for more than five years.

Hammond said that through the information he gets from his wife, who works in marketing and communications for their local hospital in Ardmore, he knows how important blood levels are to the hospital and the community.

About a blood transfusion, Hammond said, "You never know when you're going to need it until it's too late."

Senior Airman Brandon Williams of the 507th Civil Engineer Squadron sat in the donor's chair that afternoon for what he said was more than the twelfth time to donate in his life.

Williams said he thought the needle was the worst part of the whole donation process, but had a way to get past the discomfort of getting blood drawn.

"I just think about my kids," Williams said, "especially my daughter. She gets stuck with needles and it doesn't even faze her.

"So I've got to 'man up' a little bit, you know," he added with a smile and a chuckle. "If my daughter's got to take it, I can take it."

And Williams "manned up" that day, sitting in the chair to undergo a special type of blood donation.

While most people might think of blood donation as giving a pint of "whole" blood - red blood cells, platelets and plasma at the same time - that is just one way to donate.

According to OBI's website, donors can also donate plasma, platelets, or a double amount of red blood cells.

Williams opted to give double red blood cells for the first time.

As his blood was drawn, it traveled to an apheresis machine, which separates blood into its three main components. As the blood was separated, the red blood cells were stored, and the remaining plasma and platelets were returned back to Williams, along with saline.

The process took about twice as long as the normal whole blood donation process, but the end result was double the lifesaving blood to those in need.

The OBI website says the double red blood cell donation is the way to help most with one blood donation.

What are the upsides?

Williams said he likes the feeling of being able to help people.

And Hammond said, "I don't see any negative to it at all.

"You get a free T-shirt, you get snacks, you get to hang out with cool people, so it's a lot of fun," said Hammond.

And the compliments about the tint of one's plasma or the visibility of one's veins, while out of the ordinary, are nice as well.

For more information on how to donate, contact the Oklahoma Blood Institute toll-free at 877-340-8777, or visit their Web site at www.obi.org.