Gift of Life Marathon

UPDATE 23 December: the drive got 1024 pints! Go to the Rutland Herald's coverage. The first donor is also a parishioner chez moi.

This event is unique to Rutland (i.e., there is no equivalent in the rest of the state): the Gift of Life Marathon that takes place at the local theatre/concert hall, the Paramount. From 10.30-6.30, Red Cross sets up shop and receives blood donations. This blood drive holds the record in New England — last year, they collected 865 pints. To do this, Red Cross pulls in workers from New Hampshire and New York and puts every Vermont worker on duty. They dread it and they love it. I suspect there are still people donating as I write because it took me 3 hours start to finish (1.30-4.30) this afternoon. When I left at 5.00, they were up to 600 pints, well on the way.


I took this as I waited to have my history taken. They sent people downstairs for that part of the process. Then people sat on the left side of the theatre.


Several people had on Santa hats or reindeer antlers. A local radio station broadcast live and the local television network came and interviewed people.


Finally I got called forward (number 252). I was seated as far back left stage as one could get without being put out in the back alleyway. I figure there were 50-60 donors on the stage. The double reds were across the street as well as those who could not wait as long to donate.


Photo quality is not all that exciting because I did it with my iPhone. (I have Photoshop on the phone which is great.) It may be insane to donate blood two days before Christmas Eve but participating in this drive was fun (my first time) and meaningful.

Vermont has the highest percentage of donors, 18%, as opposed to the nation-wide 4%. Obviously today helps augment that figure.

One person said that a relative works for Red Cross and they will be working all night processing the blood since it can't exactly sit around. They groan when they think of this blood drive, but are also glad. I honestly think that it all will go to use — how many chemo patients receive transfusions? How many burn or accident or surgery patients receive blood?

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I donate blood because it is part of my rule of life. We haven't figured out yet how artificially to manufacture blood (they were desperately looking today for O negative donors for double red donations) and to do so is so easy and doesn't cost anything to the giver other than time. So few people donate that for those of us who do, it becomes a life habit.

So I was floored when I got the gift bag as did every other donor. I am not sure I am including everything... of course it is good publicity for all the sponsors:

a one-day ski pass to Pico Peak!!!
a one-day cross country ski or snow shoeing pass from the Mountain Top Resort
a pint beer glass from Long Trail Ale
a little stuffed cow animal from Central Vermont Power Service (they take manure and get electricity out of it)
a t-shirt from the Red Cross (that is the usual)
a small bar of soap from Vermont Soap Makers
a small red marble heart from Vermont Marble
chapstick from Rutland Regional Medical Center
a bag from Chittenden Bank
a bag of candy from the Vermont Country Store

and other little things.

Yes, it is super publicity for all those who contributed.

But most of all, blood is a gift of life. Anyone who has seen the difference a transfusion can make knows. For all the troubles of the Red Cross, they still do get the blood out to people. And that is what counts.