In memory of Jessica...

People don’t often think about the need for blood unless they have a close family member or friend who is need. Sometimes the need is even personal.

National statistics state that approximately 38% of the population is able to donate, yet only about 5% actually do.  These are amazing statistics considering at some point in life 75% will need blood.

Shannon Stuart and Sarah Collins know the importance of having units of blood and platelets available first-hand because Sarah’s sister, Jessica Ernsberger, needed several transfusions as she battled breast cancer. Now, Stuart and Collins are looking to give back.

“We are hosting several blood drives throughout the year that are going to be centered around someone in the community.  We believe this is a wonderful way to honor someone, and each time the drives will bring in a whole new crowd,” said Collins.

A South Bend Medical Foundation Blood Drive will be held to honor the memory of Jessica Ernsberger on Wednesday, August 8^th from 1pm until 6pm at the North Liberty Church, 65225 State Road 23.  To make an appointment to donate call Shannon at 574.298.5656 or email peteshannon2001@aol.com.

Jessica was diagnosed with stage 4 Inflammatory Breast Cancer in June of 2009. She aggressively fought the disease by having her breast removed, a complete hysterectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy.

She not only was concerned for her own life, but tried to maintain a happy home for her husband, TJ, and their five children under the age of 13: Gavin, Gabe, Skyler, Emma and Chevy.

She responded to the treatment and things were going well until May of 2011 when Jessica was rushed to the Emergency Room after having a seizure. This time, the cancer was back and it had spread to her brain. 

Again, Jessica endured chemotherapy and radiation during the summer, but found herself back in the hospital in August with pneumonia. She returned home for a week and lost her battle with cancer on August 15, 2011.

“My sister was just 31 when she passed and she used a lot of platelets during her chemotherapy.  She knew everyone in the community and she always cared about her family and friends.  She fought hard and never let anyone feel sorry for her and even in her last days she was determined to get better,” said Collins.

Jessica was from Walkerton but lived in North Liberty with her family, who still resides there.

Collins and Stuart hope the community shows their support for Jessica and her family during the South Bend Medical Foundation Blood Drive in Jessica’s honor on August 8^th.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize how important donating is, until someone they know has to have blood,” said Collins.

Support the blood drive in memory of Jessica Ernsberger on Wednesday, August 8^th from 1pm until 6pm at the North Liberty Church, 65225 State Road 23.  Make an appointment to donate by calling Shannon at 574.298.5656 or email peteshannon2001@aol.com.

Passion for assisting others leads Jamie McGraw to South Bend Medical Foundation

I know several people who love their jobs, but I also know several people who would rather be anywhere than at work.

I also know one person who would work around the clock if he was allowed and I’m not sure it would matter to him whether he was getting paid $3 an hour or $8 an hour. He eats, breathes and dreams South Bend Medical Foundation.

Jamie McGraw, 25, has worked for the Foundation for the last three years as the Blood Donor Attendant at West Edison. South Bend Medical Foundation in conjunction with Logan Center has established a partnership to create opportunities for work placement. Jamie has Down Syndrome, a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both physically and mentally.

Each morning, he boards the bus and travels to work for his 7:30am start. Clad in his white South Bend Medical Foundation polo shirt, Jamie is proud to welcome donors into the blood donor center. His goal is to assist donors so that they have a good experience and want to return.

With a smile on his face and an eagerness to please, Jamie offers each donor an assortment of juice and snacks. He knows the importance of his position.  But this isn’t his only duty. He puts medical supplies away, makes sure the snack totes are refilled for the remote blood drive team, makes cold cloths for donors who suffer from reactions, and makes the coffee and hot tea. It’s all in a day’s work for Jamie.

But it isn’t the work that motivates him to do his best every day, it’s his co-workers.

“My favorite thing is that I love my colleagues.  They’re nice and friendly and they dress appropriately,” said Jamie.

His enthusiasm for his work and even for life is contagious.  He’s even a little bit of a marketing guru. If you call his personal cell phone and are transferred to voice mail, you’ll get a message urging you to donate blood at South Bend Medical Foundation.

It’s a message that comes from the heart and one he knows is important.

“I have donated blood five times. I started because my dad had cancer so I wanted to donate blood in his memory,” said Jamie.

Two years ago, Jamie contacted the marketing crew at the Foundation and told them he thought that every donor should get a turkey when they donate during November. It was amazing how many donors flooded the centers wanting to donate blood so they could receive the Thanksgiving turkey.

And although Jamie has a great amount of passion for his current position, he admits that he wanted to work in the donor area so he could get experience working with people and serving them beverages and making them comfortable because his goal is to work for the airlines as a flight attendant.

He’s active in Logan Center and recently served as the chairman of the Logan’s Run.  He also is an usher at St. Joe Parish. One thing is for sure, Jamie is a motivated employee at the Foundation and he clearly loves his job.

Come meet Jamie at our Edison location Monday – Friday between 7:30 and 3:30. He’ll take great care of you!

Never Forget

If you ask just about anyone who is old enough to remember where they were when news that JFK was shot, they can probably tell you.

If you ask anyone where they were on September 11, 2001, you’ll probably get an answer as though it was yesterday.

I had moved that weekend from LaPorte to my apartment in South Bend. I had taken that Monday and Tuesday off to get settled and had talked to a friend at work when she told me that a plane had flown into one of the towers at the World Trade Center.

In a matter of seconds, I hooked my TV up and started watching the coverage.  There was mass chaos as people were unsure of where their loved ones were.  So many people were on their cell phones that many people were unable to complete their calls. Many were trapped in the city, unable to get home because the subway was shut down. Soon, all planes would be grounded and millions of people were stuck in airports across the United States.

At the South Bend Medical Foundation, people lined up around the building to donate blood. They waited for hours because they wanted to do something to help those injured in New York. So many people wanted to help that we had almost too much blood. For days, people showed their support by flying the American Flag, wearing red, white and blue pins and donating money to those affected by the terrorist attacks. We vowed we would never forget.

Unfortunately, 10 years ago we had lines wrapped around the building, while two years ago we were alerting the news media because donations were so low that we had fallen to a one day supply of O negative blood. Last year, donors beds remained nearly empty again and our supplies fell drastically.

This year, South Bend Medical Foundation will mark the 10 year anniversary of the tragic events in New York by hosting a blood drive in honor of Katie McCloskey and Kathy Hawk Nicosia. Both were natives of South Bend and both graduated from Adams High School. 

Katie’s friends and family have established a scholarship fund in memory of Katie at Adams High School. South Bend Medical Foundation will donate $5 per unit collected to the fund.

If you would like to show your support for our local fire and police agencies and honor Katie and Kathy by donating blood, sign up for an appointment to donate blood at the South Bend Fire House, 1222 South Michigan Street on Sunday, September 11 between 10am and 3pm. Appointments can be made by calling 574.234.1157 or by signing up online at http://bit.ly/911HERO. 

Many donors are still eligible to donate even if they are taking medications. If you have questions about your eligibility please contact 574.234.1157 or donors@sbmf.org.  Volunteers will be on hand to provide activities for children if you need to bring them while you donate.

Donate blood for a chance to win a 2012 Ford Focus, B-100 Birthday Bash tickets and special B-100 tailgating wristbands!

On June 8^th, the doors of Jordan Automotive Group flooded open as 83 people were ready to donate blood. Not only were donors given an entry for the new 2012 Ford Focus, but they were also given food and refreshments, along with several drawings for special prizes and extra chances to win the car.

On August 3^rd, South Bend Medical Foundation and Jordan Automotive Group will join efforts to host another blood drive at Jordan, 609 East Jefferson Blvd in Mishawaka from 2pm until 7pm. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments will be honored first. To make an appointment call 574.234.1157 or sign up online using the link http://bit.ly/JordanAuto.

First time and repeat donors are all welcome to attend the festivities and donor eligibility requirements can be found at our website, www.GiveBloodNow.com.

A few thousand donors have given blood since the kick-off of the promotion, which began on June 1^st. All donors will be entered to win the 2012 Ford Focus each time he or she donates blood. The promotion will end at the close of business on August 26^th and 50 donors will be selected as finalists.  All finalists will be required to attend the raffle on August 31^st from 6pm until 8pm.

Complete rules for the promotion can be found at www.GiveBloodNow.com.

Type it! With SBMF at the Elkhart County 4H fair on Friday

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know my blood type. I first donated blood in college and I’m sure I didn’t know my blood type before then, but I guess it didn’t really matter.

Now that I work at South Bend Medical Foundation, it sort of shocks me when a potential donor doesn’t know what type of blood he or she has.

On Friday, July 29^th, South Bend Medical Foundation will be typing blood in the Elkhart General Hospital’s “Healthy Lifestyle Tent” at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair from 9am until 8pm. 

 The blood typing system will require those being screened to have a small pin prick to produce a drop of blood. Once the blood is placed on a special testing paper, the donor will be notified of his or her blood type.

Why is blood type important? There are eight different types of blood including A, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+ and O-. The + are read as positive and the – is read as a negative.

Each person has one of these blood types. I have O negative blood which means that I can give blood to anyone else, but I can only receive blood from other O negative donors. But it doesn’t work like that for everyone. My blood type, O-, is the universal donor so everyone can accept it. But recipients with a type of B- can only receive O- and B- blood and can only donate to other B- recipients. It gets a little complicated, but is important because if you need a transfusion and are given the wrong type it could cause huge complications.

So if I’ve caught your curiosity at all, you might be wondering what donor types can give blood to others or receive blood from others, right? Well here goes:

If you have type AB+ blood, you are in luck because you can receive all types of blood. There are only 3.4% of people in the population with this type of blood.

Those with AB- are the rarest blood type with only .6% accounting for the population. People with this type are able to receive blood from AB-, A-, B- and AB- donors and are able to donate to those with AB- and AB+ types.

At the opposite end of the spectrum as far as “popular” blood types is A+. Approximately 37.4% of the United States population has A+ blood type. Many people think that since they are A+ and it isn’t a rare blood type or a universal blood type that they don’t need to donate. However, since it is a very popular blood type, it means that you should donate blood because more people are in need of it! A+ donors can give to AB+ recipients and A+, and can receive blood from those who are A+, O+, A- and O-.

The 6.3% of the population who have A- blood are able to give blood to AB+, AB-, A+ and A- recipients, and are eligible to receive blood from only two types. Know what they are? If you guessed A- and O- then you are correct.

With the second rarest blood type, those in the United States with type B- blood only account for 1.5% of the population. If you have type B- blood, stick close to people with types B- and O- because you can only give and receive these types of blood.

Finally, since we already talked about O- blood, which is the universal donor and can be given to anyone, we’re left with O+.  While O- donors account for 6.6% of the population, O+ donors account for 37.4% of the population with the most common blood type. While O+ can be given to all of the positive types, it can only receive O- and O+ types.

There is a lot to be said for the typing process! Before it was figured out, people had reactions and sometimes died during transfusions.

Join South Bend Medical Foundation on July 29^th at the Healthy Lifestyles tent from 9am until 8pm, on Rotary Blvd at the fairgrounds.

Free food and extra chances to win the Ford Focus when you donate at Jordan tomorrow

What has mirrors, a brilliant red exterior and a paper plate?

It isn’t a goofy science experiment or your leftover dinner. It’s the beautiful brand new 2012 Ford Focus which you are eligible to win when you donate blood at South Bend Medical Foundation before August 26th.

During your lunch hour on Friday, July 8th, stop by Jordan Automotive Group at 609 East Jefferson in Mishawaka and enjoy food and refreshments while you donate blood between 11am and 2pm. Not only will you be saving the lives of others, but you will also be eligible to win the 2012 Ford Focus at the end of the summer. But wait, it gets even better because South Bend Medical Foundation will be giving away extra chances to win the Focus during the blood drive.

The vehicle is a 2012 Ford Focus 4-Door Sedan SE with an automatic transmission, cruise control, 15” wheels, Halogen headlights, rear window defroster, power windows and mirrors, AM/FM stereo single CD/MP3, auxiliary audio input jack, air conditioning, cloth bucket seats (front), 60/40 split Ford rear seat, tilt steering, power door locks with remote keyless entry, and anti-lock brakes.

If you aren’t in the market for a new vehicle, don’t worry, there is a $10,000 cash option.
For complete information about the raffle visit http://www.givebloodnow.com/

Remembering Ava

 Although Ava Zimmerman was only alive for a short time, her courage touched the lives of her family and her community.  On July 6^th, Ava’s family and their friends will come together at the Niles Inn from 2pm until 7pm to remember and honor the little girl who only lived 93 days.

September 29, 2007 was one of the happiest days in Jamie Zimmerman’s life. Jamie and her husband, Jamie, and son Brayden welcomed Ava into their family. But what seemed to be one of the happiest days soon turned the Zimmerman family upside down.   

The nurses found what they believed to be a heart murmur and recommended that Ava be taken to the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital, about a three drive away. At just two days old, Ava had her first surgery to attempt to correct her Interrupted Aortic Arch and Truncus Arteriosis. She came out surgery and seemed to be doing better until about her seventh week when doctors discovered that Ava’s truncal valve which replaced her aortic valve was leaking and she needed to have another operation.

“After Ava was born and we found out she had heart defects, our world came crumbling down. It is a parent’s worst nightmare and we naively believed that something like this would never happen to us. Now we know how rough life can be and that you never know what tragedy life might bring your way,” said Ava’s mother, Jamie.

This operation presented some unexpected complications and Ava endured a twelve hour operation which left her too weak and she was placed on an ECMO machine, a form of life support.

“At this point we were still hopeful that she had a chance to survive as the staff believed that if her heart was given a rest on ECMO, then maybe it would recuperate,” said Jamie.

Instead, Ava developed sepsis and antibiotic treatments to cure it were unsuccessful.

“On January 2, 2008, we made a futile attempt to allow Ava’s heart to function on its own as we trialed her off ECMO. We knew the chances of this working were slim and we soon had to say our goodbyes to our precious baby girl. I held her in my arms as they took her off life support,” said Jamie.

Jamie and her husband looked for ways to give meaning and purpose to young Ava’s short life. They donated all of Jamie’s breast milk to the hospital’s milk bank for children who were sick.  They participated in several 5k runs, helped with Ronald McDonald House, Hearts of Hope and several other charities.

Now, the Zimmerman’s focus on two events each year to honor and remember Ava. The blood drive, which takes place each summer, first began on what would have been Ava’s 10 month anniversary. Over 75 people attended the first blood drive and each year the drive attracts people who want to show their support for the Zimmerman family. The blood drive at Niles Inn on July 6^th will be the fourth annual Ava Zimmerman Blood Drive.

Their goal for the blood drive is to recruit more and more people each year to help people in the community. 

Jamie began the blood drives, “because of Ava’s numerous transfusions, at least a dozen of different varieties, I thought this would be a great way to give back to the community and to keep her in the minds and hearts of all the people who had supported us through our tragic experience,” said Jamie.

In addition to the yearly blood drive, Jamie and her husband organize an annual poker run which funds, “Ava’s Heart Foundation” at Mott Children’s Hospital.  To date, they have raised $18,000 from the poker runs and the fund helps other families of heart patients.

“I would like everyone to know what a strong, beautiful angel Ava is, although I know her followers during the time she was alive already realize that. The only thing we know for sure is that Ava’s spirit is still alive in all of us. Brayden helps us find glimpses of his sister in everyday things such as butterflies, pennies, dandelions, hearts and flowers,” said Jamie.

The Zimmerman’s welcomed Ava’s baby brother, Avary, into the family about a year ago and are sure he will help spread Ava’s spirit to the world, as well.

If you would like to make an appointment to donate blood in honor of Ava Zimmerman call 269.876.2317 or make an appointment online at http://bit.ly/AZBldDrive.  Walk-ins are welcome to donate on July 6^th at the Niles Inn, 930 South 11^th Street in Niles from 2:00pm until 7:00pm.

All donors will be entered into South Bend Medical Foundation’s summer promotion and will be eligible for the raffle to win the 2012 Ford Focus from Jordan Automotive Group.  For more information about the promotion visit www.GiveBloodNow.com