Big blood drive salutes the troops

Macomb County’s largest blood drive to be held this week
By Chad Selweski
Chad.selweski@macombdaily.com @cbsnewsman
Sunday, March 10,2013



Macomb Daily photo by Ray J. Skowronek Army Reserves Sgt. Robin Ciani eagerly awaits the time when her 4 1/2-year-old daughter, Jessica, is deemed cancer-free. Sgt. Ciani is supporting the Clinton Township Blood Drive, which has a military theme this year, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

After receiving dozens of blood transfusions, monthly flushes of the artificial “port” in her chest, weekly spinal taps and daily medicines, 4 ½-year-old Jessica Ciani is finally near the end of her battle with leukemia.
Her mother, Army Reserves Sgt. Robin Ciani, knows quite a bit about battles, yet she anxiously awaits mid-April, when the two years of hospitals and needles and pills and medical exams will be over and Jessica will be healthy and cancer-free.

What’s next for the Ciani family? They’re going to Disneyworld.
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Robin and her husband, Mike, and Jessica and her brother, Michael, will finally take the vacation they’ve been waiting for.
For the second consecutive year, the Cianis, of Sterling Heights, are lending their support to the Clinton Township Blood Drive, one of the largest community blood drives in southeast Michigan, which is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
A reliable blood supply was crucial to Jessica’s survival, particularly in the first weeks of her treatment. That’s a message that Robin wants to convey.

“Try to think about what families go through, imagine the kids who need blood like Jessica did,” said Sgt. Ciani, a 10-year veteran who works for the Army as a soldier and a civilian.
American Red Cross officials say only a small percentage of the population donates blood, and the excuses for not doing so never change – not enough time, or a fear of needles.
“It’s easy to think about yourself but if you think about others, if you put yourself in their shoes, you can get past the fear of needles or anything else – for the greater good,” said Mike Ciani.

The Clinton Township Blood Drive, which takes place at six locations, began in 2000 and has collected more than 5,000 pints of blood. This year’s goal is 410 pints.
The 14th annual event’s theme is “Salute Our Armed Forces.” With the help of local veterans groups, each donor will have an “Honor Card” sent on their behalf to a soldier overseas or a local disabled veteran explaining that a pint of blood was donated in their honor.
The Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan must collect 900 pints of blood every day to maintain adequate supplies in the five-county area’s 43 hospitals. But the long winter this year has caused hundreds of pledged blood donors to cancel their appointments.

Red Cross spokesman Carmen Timm said snow days have also forced the cancellation of some school-based blood drives and widespread flu illnesses have also affected the number of blood donors.
In addition, the Red Cross has dealt with a long-term decline in donations due to Michigan’s economic downturn, which resulted in the closure of factories and businesses that used to host an annual workplace blood drive.
“Right now, we have an urgent need for Type O blood – that’s O-positive or O-negative,” Timm said. “You would not believe how much the weather has affected us in this area.”
For March, which is Red Cross Month, anyone who donates blood in southeast Michigan will be entered into a raffle for a free iPad electronic tablet.

Red Cross officials praise Clinton Township’s drive as a model for other communities because of the unified effort by township employees, hospitals, schools and the business community. Dozens of Red Cross nurses and personnel, plus approximately 60 volunteers, will take part in this week’s drive.
Potential delays in medical treatment are a constant concern when the blood supply is low, according to Martha Higgins, blood bank director for St. John Hospital in Detroit, who helped launch the first Clinton Township blood drive.
The public typically associates the need for blood with the operating room or emergency room. But Dr. Higgins said many children and adults – out-patients suffering from chronic illness – need blood on a routine basis.

Higgins said a blood shortage can affect those who suffer from cancer, leukemia, heart disease, sickle cell and other disorders that cause chronic anemia. In addition, premature babies in intensive care are among the biggest recipients of transfusions.

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Where to Give

Tuesday:
Clintondale High School, Little Mack, just north of 15 Mile, 8.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Clinton Township Senior Center, located in the township Civic Center on Romeo Plank, south of Canal, 8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Clinton Township Police Station, Groesbeck, north of Metro Parkway, 9 .am. to 2:45 p.m.

Wednesday:
Chippewa Valley High School, 19 Mile Road just east of Garfield, 1 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.  

RELATED ASSETS

Baker College, Little Mack at 15 Mile, 11 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.  

L’Anse Creuse Schools Wheeler Building, on Pankow Boulevard, just off of Gratiot, south of M-59, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

    

To make an appointment, call (586) 286-1768 or go online to   http://tinyurl.com/auorny8.