A walk to remember...

I went for a two mile walk tonight and by most standards, I didn’t blaze any trails. Yet, I think it was one of my more successful walks.

Last month I signed up for a half marathon walk in Savannah, Georgia on November 5^th.  I did it for mostly selfish reasons because I felt I needed a healthy goal to strive toward. So tonight, I knew I needed to walk, but I had been out with friends and didn’t really feel like going.

But on my walk, I was thinking about how the 13 mile walk in Savannah would go. It isn’t my first time walking 13 miles, nor my second, so I kind of know what to expect. Except this walk is a little different because I walked the others to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

So as I walked, I enjoyed the thoughts of who this walk could honor. What will give me the push in miles 8 and 9 when I feel my thighs tingle a little? And that is when I thought about Destinee Smith, my Aunt Pammie, Jody Ryan, Brady Burkhart, Joe Agostino and Carol VanBraune and all of the other courageous cancer survivors I have met over the years.

I know many of you are probably tired of hearing about the importance of blood donation and what I do for a living, but volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is something I started many years before I set foot in South Bend Medical Foundation.

When I was in high school I worked in the kitchen for LaPorte Hospital. I was a junior in high school when I met my very best friends for the next several years, Michelle Reese and Jody Ryan. It wasn’t long after I met Jody that she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Her struggle was so courageous that I don’t think she’ll ever really know how much respect and admiration Reese and I had for her. And her fight paid off and I am glad to say she overcame cancer. And because of her, it was shortly after I started college that I became interested in volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

It was then that I met Carol VanBraune and Joe Agostino. Carol was in remission and Joe had recently undergone treatment for his cancer. I can’t tell you how impressive their attitudes were to me.

About 10 years later, I started at the Foundation and I am honored to be able to know the cancer survivors who have benefited from units of blood and platelets such as Destinee Smith and Brady Burkhart.

So tonight, on my walk, when I wondered what could push me on my 13 mile walk, I thought of these people. Of how they sat for hours on end getting chemo treatments and how much I’ve learned from each of their stories. Talk about perseverance and determination!

So as I walk in Savannah on November 5^th, I’m proud to say that I won’t be walking alone, but with those who have walked in much bigger shoes than I will and I’ll know how lucky I am.

Passion for assisting others leads Jamie McGraw to SBMF

I know several people who love their jobs, but I also know several people who would rather be anywhere than at work.

I also know one person who would work around the clock if he was allowed and I’m not sure it would matter to him whether he was getting paid $3 an hour or $8 an hour. He eats, breathes and dreams South Bend Medical Foundation.

Jamie McGraw, 25, has worked for the Foundation for the last three years as the Blood Donor Attendant at West Edison. South Bend Medical Foundation in conjunction with Logan Center has established a partnership to create opportunities for work placement. Jamie has Down Syndrome, a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both physically and mentally.

Each morning, he boards the bus and travels to work for his 7:30am start. Clad in his white South Bend Medical Foundation polo shirt, Jamie is proud to welcome donors into the blood donor center. His goal is to assist donors so that they have a good experience and want to return.

With a smile on his face and an eagerness to please, Jamie offers each donor an assortment of juice and snacks. He knows the importance of his position.  But this isn’t his only duty. He puts medical supplies away, makes sure the snack totes are refilled for the remote blood drive team, makes cold cloths for donors who suffer from reactions, and makes the coffee and hot tea. It’s all in a day’s work for Jamie.

But it isn’t the work that motivates him to do his best every day, it’s his co-workers.

“My favorite thing is that I love my colleagues.  They’re nice and friendly and they dress appropriately,” said Jamie.

His enthusiasm for his work and even for life is contagious.  He’s even a little bit of a marketing guru. If you call his personal cell phone and are transferred to voice mail, you’ll get a message urging you to donate blood at South Bend Medical Foundation.

It’s a message that comes from the heart and one he knows is important.

“I have donated blood five times. I started because my dad had cancer so I wanted to donate blood in his memory,” said Jamie.

Two years ago, Jamie contacted the marketing crew at the Foundation and told them he thought that every donor should get a turkey when they donate during November. It was amazing how many donors flooded the centers wanting to donate blood so they could receive the Thanksgiving turkey.

And although Jamie has a great amount of passion for his current position, he admits that he wanted to work in the donor area so he could get experience working with people and serving them beverages and making them comfortable because his goal is to work for the airlines as a flight attendant.

He’s active in Logan Center and recently served as the chairman of the Logan’s Run.  He also is an usher at St. Joe Parish. One thing is for sure, Jamie is a motivated employee at the Foundation and he clearly loves his job.

Come meet Jamie at our Edison location Monday – Friday between 7:30 and 3:30. He’ll take great care of you!

Never Forget

If you ask just about anyone who is old enough to remember where they were when news that JFK was shot, they can probably tell you.

If you ask anyone where they were on September 11, 2001, you’ll probably get an answer as though it was yesterday.

I had moved that weekend from LaPorte to my apartment in South Bend. I had taken that Monday and Tuesday off to get settled and had talked to a friend at work when she told me that a plane had flown into one of the towers at the World Trade Center.

In a matter of seconds, I hooked my TV up and started watching the coverage.  There was mass chaos as people were unsure of where their loved ones were.  So many people were on their cell phones that many people were unable to complete their calls. Many were trapped in the city, unable to get home because the subway was shut down. Soon, all planes would be grounded and millions of people were stuck in airports across the United States.

At the South Bend Medical Foundation, people lined up around the building to donate blood. They waited for hours because they wanted to do something to help those injured in New York. So many people wanted to help that we had almost too much blood. For days, people showed their support by flying the American Flag, wearing red, white and blue pins and donating money to those affected by the terrorist attacks. We vowed we would never forget.

Unfortunately, 10 years ago we had lines wrapped around the building, while two years ago we were alerting the news media because donations were so low that we had fallen to a one day supply of O negative blood. Last year, donors beds remained nearly empty again and our supplies fell drastically.

This year, South Bend Medical Foundation will mark the 10 year anniversary of the tragic events in New York by hosting a blood drive in honor of Katie McCloskey and Kathy Hawk Nicosia. Both were natives of South Bend and both graduated from Adams High School. 

Katie’s friends and family have established a scholarship fund in memory of Katie at Adams High School. South Bend Medical Foundation will donate $5 per unit collected to the fund.

If you would like to show your support for our local fire and police agencies and honor Katie and Kathy by donating blood, sign up for an appointment to donate blood at the South Bend Fire House, 1222 South Michigan Street on Sunday, September 11 between 10am and 3pm. Appointments can be made by calling 574.234.1157 or by signing up online at http://bit.ly/911HERO. 

Many donors are still eligible to donate even if they are taking medications. If you have questions about your eligibility please contact 574.234.1157 or donors@sbmf.org.  Volunteers will be on hand to provide activities for children if you need to bring them while you donate.