Konop, a local resident, shared her story of receiving a blood transfusion with Boreal Community Media. "Whenever I thought about blood transfusions, I imagined very scary scenarios involving car crashes, or severe injuries," she said, before adding, "I never imagined being a person who would need a blood transfusion." That changed, however, when she experienced a sudden emergency that proved otherwise.

While at home, Konop experienced debilitating pain that sent her (driven by her husband) to North Shore Health in Grand Marais. Doctors discovered she had suffered a burst hemorrhagic cyst, resulting in significant blood loss. The severity of her condition was made clear after lab work. "My hemoglobin was the lowest he [the doctor] had ever seen, a 5, and my organs were near failure," she said.

To stabilize her, doctors began a blood transfusion. "Not 1 bag, not 2, but 4 bags of blood were used to get my hemoglobin high enough for me to be discharged," she explained. "I am so thankful to people who donate blood, you are truly giving people life and allowing people to get the care they need. Thank you."

The constant and critical need for blood

Konop’s experience is just one example of the constant demand for blood products across the state and nation. According to Memorial Blood Centers (MBC), someone needs blood every two seconds.

Earlier this year, MBC announced a critical blood shortage in Minnesota, with a supply of less than two days. 

Blood donations are important for treating people suffering from trauma, those undergoing invasive surgeries, cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients, premature babies, people experiencing complications during labor and delivery, individuals with sickle cell or other forms of anemia, or, like in the case of Ashley, sudden emergencies. 

According to Memorial Blood Centers, blood is separated into components, each with a different function:

• Red Cells: Carry oxygen throughout the body and are vital for trauma victims, surgical patients, and people battling anemia. They have a shelf-life of 42 days.

• Platelets: Small cell fragments that control bleeding. They are often needed by leukemia and cancer patients, burn victims, and those undergoing cardiac surgery, but have a short shelf-life of only 7 days.

• Plasma: A mixture of water, proteins, and salts that promotes clotting. It is used for burn victims, patients suffering from shock, and liver transplant recipients.

Because there is no synthetic substitute for blood, the supply can only be maintained by volunteer donors giving regularly.

To help address this need, Boreal Community Media is hosting "Give Life to the Max," a two-part event in partnership with Memorial Blood Centers and NMDP (formerly bethematch.org).

1. Give Life (through Blood Donation)

A blood drive will take place on Tuesday, November 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Memorial Blood Center bus, which will be parked in the lot of The Hub in Grand Marais.

Check to see if you're eligible here.

All donors must schedule an appointment ahead of time. Find available spots here.

For those who cannot make the Grand Marais date, a separate blood drive, hosted by the West End Community, is scheduled for Monday, November 17, in Tofte.

2. Give Life (by signing up for the Blood Stem Cell Donor Registry)

In addition to the blood drive, staff and board members from Boreal Community Media will be on-site at The Hub from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on November 18 to coordinate a blood stem cell donor registration event.

Joining the national registry involves a simple cheek swab to perform Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing. This process is used to match donors with patients suffering from life-threatening blood disorders, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

According to NMDP, approximately 70% of patients who need a stem cell transplant must find a compatible, non-family donor. The registry has an ongoing and critical need for younger donors (ages 18-35) and those from diverse ethnic backgrounds to increase the chances of finding a life-saving match for every patient.

You can register as a potential donor if you’re:

• Between the ages of 18 and 35
• A resident of the U.S., its territories, or freely associated states
• Able to meet NMDP health guidelines
• Not already registered through another U.S. organization
  
  

Learn more about the process of joining the registry and see if you're eligible here.

**Please note: At this time, only potential donors aged 18-35 can be added to the blood stem cell donor registry. According to NMDP, donors aged 18 to 35 are medically preferred and requested nearly 80% of the time by medical professionals because scientific studies show that cells from younger donors lead to better long-term survival rates for patients. Read more here. 

All donors for the blood drive and every individual who swabs for the registry will receive a free Boreal Community Media mug as a thank-you.

3. Give your Support

Boreal Community Media is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to giving back to the community that supports us. We're proud to provide you with daily community news updates and stories, free classified ads, and an event calendar. We also take pride in hosting free community tech support events during the summer and organizing events like this one. 

Your financial gift to Boreal Community Media in honor of Give to the Max Day directly funds initiatives like those mentioned above, as well as our operational needs that make all these things possible.

Learn more or give here. 

In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing more stories of community members who have received lifesaving donations of blood and/or bone marrow, so stay tuned! If you or someone you know would like to share their story, please reach out to [email protected]. 

A huge thank you to Memorial Blood Centers and NMPD for partnering with us for this Give to the Max Day event, and to The Hub for allowing us to use their space for the event that day!