Bloodworks 101

When Bloodworks’ chief financial officer Bob Gleason retires in June, he will leave an already-cemented legacy as a values-driven finance maestro.  Bob has set a high bar, and Bloodworks looked far and wide for a business leader who could match his standards and finesse. And now, Bloodworks is excited to welcome Jeff Perry  into the CFO role. Bloodworks 101's Helen Pitlick sat down with Jeff to get to know him a little better and learn more about what he has planned for Bloodworks. 

In 2016, University of Washington sociology professor and mother of two Alexes Harris was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a type of cancer where the blood-producing cells in a patient’s bone marrow became abnormal and create blood cells that don’t function properly. Alexes underwent chemotherapy treatment to reach remission, but when it came time to find a suitable bone marrow donor, her improving condition met a health equity wall: Her mixed race background meant the chances of finding a donor were slim at best.  After learning that all her family members – including her fraternal twin brother – were ineligible to be her donor, Alexes and her husband drove to an appointment with her transplant doctor at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (now Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center). They thought they’d be signing a consent form for a mixed-match transplant. But instead, they met Dr. Filippo Milano, whose clinical trial with cord blood transplants offered another option, one that would make the happiest moment of two families’ lives the best moment of hers too. 

The Armed Forces Blood Program ships blood anywhere in the world that it's needed. Dom Carreiro would know: he used to supervise the blood bank at Oak Harbor before coming to Bloodworks as a civilian. But what about platelets, which only have a 5-7 day shelf life? The Stolla Lab at Bloodworks Research Institute, led by Dr. Moritz Stolla, has been the recipient of multiple grants from the US Department of Defense because of their work to extend the shelf-life of platelets. 

Why did Dr. Reheman (Raymond) Adili join Bloodworks Research Institute? "Simple answer is: Bloodworks saves lives." But, like the blood clotting mechanisms he studies, there isn't just one, simple explanation. Learn more about our newest Principal Investigator at https://www.bloodworksnw.org/researchers/adili.

By day, Kyle Boynton is a mild mannered platelet donor recruiter. But by night (and on weekends), he writes and produces wacky short horror films that are drawing attention from film critics and professionals all over the world. With the Academy Awards coming up Sunday night, we thought it'd be especially timely to share a special bonus episode of Bloodworks 101. In this episode, contributor Helen Pitlick gets Kyle to talk about his two favorite things: movies and saving lives.

Have you ever donated platelets? Platelets are the part of blood that help control bleeding by collecting at the site of an injury and helping for clots. Kyle Boynton, our Donor Center Collection strategist, wants you to try platelet donation if you haven’t. We sat down with Kyle to talk about his work and why this matters so much to patients in the Pacific Northwest. 

Bloodworks' regional transportation manager Kyle McDaniel biked his way into a career and a fresh mindset. Learn how one fateful rainy Seattle day delivering blood on the Burke Gilman Trail changed Kyle's life forever.

What if we could prevent a $6 billion medical problem impacting thousands of Americans? A groundbreaking collaboration between cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Lindner and Bloodworks Research Institute could play a critical role in understanding heart valve disease. We talked with Jonathan about this work and how science benefits from teamwork and transparency.

Recently-four-year-old Greyson Ouellette wasn’t even born yet when his parents, Sarah and Brian, found out he had a heart defect. At her 20-week full anatomy scan, Sarah’s care team determined that the ventricle of Greyson’s heart was already significantly smaller than normal size, meaning that he would be born with Single Ventricle Disease (SVD), a rare congenital heart defect that affects just five out of every 100,000 newborns in America each year. Babies born with SVD require surgery immediately after birth, often one or more afterwards and, in some cases, need a heart transplant later in life. Today, Greyson has had two open-heart surgeries in his only four years of life but is doing well, playing with his older twin brothers and attending preschool. During all of Greyson’s treatments, procedures, and inpatient stays, Sarah promised herself that once Greyson was stable, she would find a way to families struggling with this rare disease. She believed not enough was being done to advance new treatments and improve outcomes for these kids, so awareness and support of SVD families became her mission. She started putting together care packages for families who’ve just found out their baby will be born with SVD, including supplies necessary for long hospital stays and a heartfelt letter of her own story. She raises funds for this project by selling “Team Greyson” merchandise online.  As one of Bloodworks tiniest patients, Greyson is a reminder that anyone, at any time, might need blood to live. That’s why donating blood is so important.   

Many of us connect with loved ones over dinner, drinks, or backyard barbeques. Not this local group of friends: for over 40 years, they've come together to catch up while donating blood. Now it's down to the final four: Bob, Sue, Guy, and Al, who tell the story of this remarkable friendship in their own words. Read more: https://seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/bloodworks-nw-donate-blood-seattle

Seattle resident Randy Small had his first heart attack at just 29. After growing up witnessing his mother struggle with heart disease, he wasn't surprised when he, too, was diagnosed. "That began the long, slow slide to transplant," he says. But then he got a phone call that changed everything, gave him a new family, and taught him about what he calls “collateral benefit.”

What have you been binge watching during the pandemic? We all have our favorites and why we love them. Seattle's Jill Gallagher has a reason why she's binging and it's literally saving lives. Producer John Yeager explains on this edition of Bloodworks 101.  

French-born Chef Thierry Rautureau has been a pillar of the Seattle culinary for decades as the visionary of such seminal restaurants as Rover's Loulay, and Luc. When we approached him to join our Culinary Coalition in support of blood donation, he eagerly agreed and said in his interview with Bill Harper, "without blood, there is no life." Well said, Chef. À table! 

At age 30, Elaine Sonntag Johnson was loving her career as a family therapist, blissfully married, and eager to start a family. But following blood tests from her OB/GYN, she was diagnosed with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (or PNH for short) and given just 3-5 years to live. In an ode to Mothers' Day and moms everywhere, this is an episode of resilience and hope; that diagnosis was 37 years ago, Elaine and husband Daniel have two adopted children in their 20s, and thanks to a breakthrough medication for PNH patients, King County's most prolific blood recipient (over 1,000 units) rarely needs blood anymore. 

Blood has always been a part of Tiffany McDermott's life. The recently-retired OB/GYN first grew up in a family of blood donors, then, throughout her career, witnessed firsthand the impact a unit of blood can have on a new mother or her baby if there are complications in childbirth. Now, retired and in her work as a Bloodworks Northwest volunteer, she travels to area hospitals to share the importance of cord blood collection and even help train staff. Listen in to hear where her passion comes from, what her hopes are for the Bloodworks cord blood collection program, and why, for so long, she's wanted to be a Bloodworks volunteer.

French-born Chef Thierry Rautureau has been a pillar of the Seattle culinary for decades as the visionary of such seminal restaurants as Rover's Loulay, and Luc. When we approached him to join our Culinary Coalition in support of blood donation, he eagerly agreed and said in his interview with Bill Harper, "without blood, there is no life." Well said, Chef. À table! 

Denise Whitaker, Gregg Hersholt and Brian Callanan all make a living by telling stories. They're all Pacific Northwest award-winning journalists. But as Bloodworks 101's John Yeager discovers in this episode of Bloodworks 101, they all make a difference in their community by donating blood and by "walking the talk".

From March 3 until June 30 2022, Bloodworks Northwest will partner with dozens in the Seattle culinary community in hopes of recruiting 10,000 new or re-engaged donors. It's called the Savor Life, Save a Life Campaign. As Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, for a couple of those culinary partners, James Beard Award-winning chef Jason Wilson and his wife, Deborah Friend Wilson - co-owners of the Bellevue restaurant The Lakehouse - the reason they're involved in a blood donation campaign is personal. 

First Bloodworks 101 episode published as a 2022 International Academy of Arts & Sciences Anthem Award Winner! Every few months, we get the entire Bloodworks Northwest staff together for a "Town Hall" to check in, regroup, celebrate successes, and make ambitious future plans. In the last one on 12/1/2021, Bloodworks 101's own John Yeager interviewed Bloodworks President & CEO Curt Bailey on why he's optimistic for the future, what we've learned in these pandemic years, and how he feels that together, we've become not only a stronger community blood center, but a stronger community too. 

We've all heard the expression, "It takes a village." Where it came from isn't 100 percent clear. But what is certain is that when it comes to our community's response to the current national blood shortage - it's up to all of us. On this edition of Bloodworks 101, producer John Yeager speaks with Dr. Jorge Reyes, the Chief of Transplant at the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens' Hospital. And as John finds out, for Reyes, the impact of not having enough blood on hand became very real and very personal.