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Wednesday, January 22, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Giving the gift of life through blood and organ donations
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Making a blood or platelet donation
through the local American Red Cross
in Bend is a simple, painless process
that doesn¾t require a lot of time and
costs nothing. And cookies and juice
are available afterwards.
As easy as it is to be a donor, for
the recipient of that blood product, it
can mean the difference between life
and death. Right now the Red Cross
supply of blood is depleted following
the holidays, when fewer drives are
held, and a steady supply of donors is
necessary year-round.
<Lifesaving medical treatments and
emergencies never take a holiday,”
said Paul Sullivan, senior vice presi-
dent, Red Cross Biomedical Services.
<Declines in donations can affect
patient care. That¾s why the Red Cross
is encouraging eligible donors to make
an appointment to give now and help
those sidelined by illness and trauma.”
Donors are urged to make an
appointment to give now using the
Red Cross Blood Donor App, vis-
iting RedCrossBlood.org, calling
1-800-REDCROSS (733-2767), or
enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any
Alexa Echo device.
Every day, blood donors help
patients of all ages: accident and
burn victims, heart surgery and organ
transplant patients, and those battling
cancer and other life-threatening ill-
nesses. In fact, every two seconds,
someone in the U.S. needs blood. One
pint of blood can help up to three dif-
ferent recipients.
There are a number of blood
drives scheduled during the month
of January, both at sponsored sites
throughout the tri-county area and at
the Bend Blood Donation Center at
815 SW Bond St., Ste. 110. Here in
Sisters, the first Friday of every month
(with adjustments for holidays), a
blood drive is held at the Sisters Fire
Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Appointments are appreciated, but if
they are not busy, they will take walk-
ins. In 2019, the residents of Sisters
contributed a total of 387 units of
blood during the 12 monthly drives.
Twice a year, the Sisters Athletic
Club hosts blood drives and
there are several drives
a year at Sisters High
School. According
to Jen Shaw, local
market manager
for the American
Red Cross, back
in 2012 and
2013, the high
school hosted
three drives a
year and col-
lected a total
of more than
200 units both
International Insight
Meditation Center
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Join us every Saturday
9 to 10:30 a.m.
— 805 NW 95th Street, Redmond —
For more information contact Yee at
yeeofsb@hotmail.com
years. The number of donations has
dwindled since then, with only two
drives a year collecting about 50 units
total. Shaw is hopeful the students
will re-engage and meet their previ-
ous records.
All blood types are needed to
ensure a reliable supply for patients.
A blood donor card or driver¾s license
or two other forms of identification
are required at check-in. Donors age
16 and over who weigh at least 110
pounds and are in generally good
health may be eligible to donate
blood. Parental permission is required
for 16-year-old donors.
Organ, Eye and Tissue Donations
Of the almost 120,000 Americans
waiting for a lifesaving organ trans-
plant, more than 3,000 live in the
Pacific Northwest. But a growing
shortage of living and deceased donors
means that not all will receive their
transplant in time.
By registering people in the Pacific
Northwest for organ, eye and tissue
donation, Donate Life Northwest gives
hope to those waiting for a transplant.
Besides organ donation, cornea dona-
tion restores sight to thousands every
year. A single tissue donor can touch
over 50 lives – healing a burn victim,
saving the life of a newborn with con-
genital heart defects, replacing tumor-
ous bones, and more.
Donate Life Northwest maintains
the donor registry for the state of
Oregon (each state has a single reg-
istry). Through community events,
education programs, and an award-
winning high school curricu-
lum, they reach thousands
of people throughout the
Pacific Northwest annu-
ally. Together with the
communities, Donate
Life Northwest has
registered over 2.5
million Oregonians
to be organ, eye and
tissue donors, one
of the highest rates
in the country.
The Oregon
registry is for
International Insight Meditation
itation Center
On a quiet, peaceful 12.5-acre site between Sisters
and Redmond, Yee Thanittithanand and Peter and Molly
Stephen founded Insight Meditation Center.
The owner of Oishi Japanese restaurant in Redmond
moved from California carrying the dream to open a
meditation center, and the dream was fulfilled four years
ago.
The nonprofit Insight Meditation Center welcomes
people of all nationalities, religions, and walks of life to
find a moment of tranquility on Saturday morning from
9 to 10:30 a.m. Sessions are free of charge.
Three or four times a year, Insight Meditation Center
hosts instructors for weekend retreats. Oishi provides food for these weekends.
Taking a meditative break reduces stress and actively promotes good health and well-being. The land-
scaped garden setting, where herbs grow along with trees planted by monks, is peaceful and conducive to
retreating from the bustle of everyday life.
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