2012 Pre-Memorial Day Drives
MAY 24 - 25, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sponsored by
At all Oklahoma Blood Institute donor centers
Free barbeque pork sandwiches and fixin’s plus
a chance to win a catered barbeque pork picnic for 40.*
Each donor receives FREE: 
- A pulled-pork sandwich & fixings from The Oklahoma Pork Council
- A voucher for 2 TICKETS to the OKC ZOO & Zoo-themed T-shirt for each donor
- Health Screenings
- Donor Rewards Points
These radio stations across Oklahoma join in:
- Ada’s BOSS
- Ardmore’s KTRX
- Enid’s KOFM
- Lawton’s Magic 95
- Oklahoma City’s KOMA, KMGL, KRXO, KOKC
- Ponca City’s Team Radio
- Tulsa’s KVOO
*For official rules, click here.
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Open Arms for Children
In May, donors who forgo the “go cup” offered when they give can help the Children’s Miracle Network affiliated hospitals in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Children’s Miracle Network is charged with making sure that if a child needs care, it can be provided close to home.
Donations help to fund
- care for all children, regardless of illness, injury or the family’s ability to pay,
- medical equipment,
- community outreach programs,
- hospital expansion,
- medical research and
- education programs regarding preventative care.
Schedule your life-saving donation at one of our donor centers or a mobile drive near you!
Our 2011 Contributors
In 2011, Oklahoma Blood Institute and its affiliates Texas Blood Institute and Arkansas Blood Institute received several significant gifts to support our needs. We would like to recognize those major gifts and thank everyone who made a contribution of any amount. Your generosity helps us meet the needs of the communities we serve.
- $115,000 - Priddy Foundation
- $ 30,000 - Kerr Foundation
- $ 24,596 - James McFarland Estate
- $ 20,000 - Herman G. Kaiser Foundation
- $ 20,000 - James N McCoy Foundation
- $ 20,000 - J.S. Bridwell Foundation
- $ 20,000 - Bryant Edwards Foundation
- $ 15,000 - Dr. Donald Halverstadt
- $ 10,000 - Fain Foundation
Whether you can give $100,000 or $5, all donations make a huge difference in helping us fulfill our mission. If all of our blood donors contributed just $5 a year, we would nearly triple the life-saving total listed above. We ask everyone who is inspired or touched by the miracle of blood transfusion to contribute.
Contributions can be made online or by mail to Attn: Gary Lynch, Development, OBI, 1001 N. Lincoln Blvd., OKC, OK 73104. Contact Gary at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 405-297-5545.
Tulsa’s Latest Look
If you haven’t seen Tulsa’s donor center lately, you’re in for a treat. During a recent remodel, the following areas were altered for maximum donor comfort and convenience:
- Waiting and refreshment areas were restructured with more comfortable seating, and a donor coffee bar was added.
- Restrooms were remodeled to include new fixtures and updated finishes.
- Private donor procedure rooms were added for medical and some therapeutic procedures.
The renovation also included the addition of five offices to allow for staff growth.
Schedule an appointment, TODAY!
Ada Appreciation Event
In December, the Ada donor center held a dinner in honor of the many donors and volunteers who made a difference in 2011 through their donations of blood and time. During this special evening, blood recipient, 15-year-old Ty Kiser, Sulphur, was able to meet some of the donors who saved his life.
Ty was shot in a hunting accident last June. Doctors at OU Medical Center removed one of Ty’s lungs to save his life. In the 24 hours immediately after his accident, he received 68 units of life-saving blood in addition to the units received during surgery. Ty has made a full recovery, attends Sulphur High School and is a member of the football team.
Schedule your life-saving donation at a donor center or a mobile drive near you!
Grateful Mom Seeks Out Son’s Donor
Jaylen Glover, Oklahoma City, is an active toddler. But during the first months of his life, his health was in jeopardy.
Jaylen suffered from repeated episodes of fever, spiking at 103 degrees. Several doctor visits yielded no answers. One day, his mother, Latasha Stevenson, found Jaylen looking “lifeless.”
Latasha rushed Jaylen to The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, where he spent the next three days in the intensive care unit. According to Latasha, Jaylen’s hemoglobin count was dangerously low. He needed a blood transfusion.
Though the reason behind Jaylen’s condition remains a mystery, he has fully recovered. Latasha credits the blood transfusion from our donors with saving Jaylen’s life. As he grew, Latasha wanted to thank those whose blood had been given to her son.
With Latasha’s approval, we obtained medical records and matched them to ours. Melody Foutty, a Geary resident, was identified as Jaylen’s donor. Latasha and Jaylen were able to meet Melody in person and express their gratitude for Melody’s life-saving gift.
Schedule your life-saving donation at a donor centeror a mobile drive near you!
All On A Blood Bag
When you or someone you love is receiving a blood transfusion, you can rest assured that blood delivered to the 158 hospitals we serve meets the highest FDA and industry standards. The universal blood bag labeling system outlined below ensures that recipients are getting the precise type of blood needed. It also indicates that the blood product has passed rigorous testing and screening in our labs.
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Hospital Inspires Employees to Give
Thanks to our wonderful partners at Norman Regional Health System! Employees who gave blood at least four times during 2011, received an iPod Shuffle. Twenty-two employees qualified after giving during a pre-Christmas drive, held to help when most needed just a few days before Christmas.
Find out how your organization can schedule a blood drive.
New System Protects ID & Speeds Check-In
To better safeguard our donors’ identities and speed up the registration process, our donor centers are now using the BIO-key finger scan system. This replaces less secure, less convenient identification forms that can be easily replicated or compromised.
Here’s how it works:
- Register to donate as before, providing your contact and health information.
- When you touch the scanner pad, BIO-key software records a template of your finger outline and unique patterns.
- BIO-key matches registration information to your finger scan.
- With each returning donation, a simple finger scan re-establishes and verifies the registration information using the extremely accurate BIO-key software. The image of the finger is not kept by OBI; but rather data is stored as a unique number that is determined by the finger lines and patterns.
Biometrics are commonly used today to provide a more convenient, secure method to establish someone’s identity. It is used within a number of industries, such as school lunch programs, workplace security systems and financial institutions. Our primary goal is to improve service to our blood donors and reduce costs to the 162 medical facilities we serve.
Schedule your life-saving donation at one of our donor centers or a mobile drive near you.
Marrow Donor Touches Life ‘Down Under’
What began with a desire to help a friend resulted in hope for a family an ocean away.
Linda Sexton, Norman, registered through Oklahoma Blood Institute as a potential marrow donor in 1997. She was inspired when she learned a colleague was in need of a marrow transplant. Though she wasn’t a match for her friend, she was contacted in 2004. After thorough testing at OBI in collaboration with the international marrow registry, she was selected as the match for a 4-month-old in Australia.
Rhiannon Carson had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was given less than a year to live. However, because of Linda’s decision seven years prior, Rhiannon would receive the lifesaving marrow she needed.
Linda’s marrow donation was performed at OU Medical Center and sent to Australia, where Rhiannon underwent her marrow transplant at 8 months old. Her recovery has been steady, and she has grown to be an active, bright and outgoing little girl.
Linda was allowed to forward a teddy bear and card to Rhiannon. But the communication did not end there. Rhiannon’s parents wanted to know the person who had helped their daughter. The two families were allowed to exchange names and became acquainted through emails and phone conversations. Last fall, Linda and her husband John traveled to Australia to meet Rhiannon and her family.
“It’s humbling, to know she wouldn’t be alive today except for this type of medical intervention,” said Linda. “We’re family now. There’s a connection there that won’t be broken.”
You, too, can be a match. To learn more about registering as a marrow donor, contact our marrow program coordinator at 405-297-5593.
Learn more about our Marrow Program.