Blood drive registers 480 donors at WWU

The Puget Sound Blood Center registered 480 donors, 107 of whom were giving blood for the first time, during the blood drive Jan. 25 to 27 at Western Washington University.

The drive was organized by Catharine Vader and the lifestyle advisors at the Student Health Center.

Each weekday, 900 people must donate blood to meet the needs of patients in western Washington hospitals.

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 the one just completed at WWU:

• 19-year-old patient: trauma. Patient used 20 units of red blood cells, six units of platelets and 20 units of plasma.
• 32-year-old patient: obstetric bleeding. Patient used 22 units of red blood cells, 12 units of plasma and two units of platelets.
• 75-year-old patient: cancer surgery and treatment. Patient used 21 units red blood cells, 18 units plasma and one unit of platelets.
• 40-year-old-patient: gastrointestinal bleeding. Patient used 13 units of red blood cells and six units of plasma.
• 43-year-old-patient: organ transplant. Patient used 20 units of red blood cells, 14 units of plasma and three units of platelets.
• 82-year-old-patient: open heart surgery. Patient used nine units of red blood cells, six units of plasma and two units of platelets.

The next blood drive on campus is scheduled for April 19 to 21.