URBANA – 6-year-old Ian Bentz from the Clinton area, was diagnosed with an extremely rare embryonic tumor at the age of 3. He started chemotherapy to treat presacral medulloepithelioma and also began receiving regular blood transfusions.
Throughout his treatment, Ian received around 200 blood and platelet transfusions, according to his mom, Kristina Bentz.
“Every time he would get a bag of blood or a bag of platelets, we would be like, ‘That was from some stranger that just donated their blood to give to these kiddos,’” Bentz said. “It really means a lot.”
For people like Ian, donated blood is something that cannot be replaced. Transfusions are entirely reliant on donors, says Michelle Trunnell, the Manager for Regional Development of Central Illinois for ImpactLife, a regional non-profit community blood center that supplies blood to local cancer centers and hospitals, including Carle and OSF.
“Blood is a medicine,” Trunnell said. “There’s not a replacement for that.”
For the second time in its history, the American Red Cross issued a national blood crisis in July, after a four-year summer low, citing an extreme shortage of blood type O-positive.
ImpactLife is also facing issues with maintaining enough blood supply, Trunnell said. While the organization has not officially declared a blood shortage, they are in critical need of blood type O-positive, with types O-negative and A-positive slowly reaching that mark.
“Right now is critical,” she said. “Inventory has been low. We see less donations through the summer months. So right now is a great time to build that back up so we have that five- to seven-day supply for all the hospitals and patients in need.”
To help address the need, the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine hosted a blood drive on Wednesday, Sept. 9 — part of the We Give Blood Challenge, which aims to raise awareness about the national shortage and encourage people to donate.
The U of I is joining other Big Ten schools in the competition to attract the most blood donors. The contest runs through Dec. 4 and the winning school will receive a $1 million grant to fund student or community health.
Young adults are underrepresented among those who donate blood. Only about 3% of eligible donors in the U.S. actually donate blood each year, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. America’s Blood Centers reports that of the 3% who donate, 60% of the donations are from people over the age of 40.
Kelsey Olson, a second-year veterinary medicine student at the U of I’s College of Veterinary Medicine, said she tries to donate blood at least a couple of times a year and came to the ImpactLife blood drive on campus Wednesday. She says the free T-shirt was a nice perk.
“I mostly donated because it was convenient while I’m at school to come donate blood, and I’ve been meaning to the last couple months.”
Isabella Wilton, another student at the College of Veterinary Medicine, donated with ImpactLife for the first time Wednesday. She has previously donated with the American Red Cross.
Wilton said that her reason for donating is simple.
“I just feel like if I can and I’m healthy and I have the blood to give, I probably should,” she said. “I always think about if I had a family member or somebody I care about in a situation where they needed a blood transfusion or platelets or whatever it might be, I would appreciate and want somebody else to be that person for them. So if I can be it for somebody else, I might as well.”
Trunnell said that events like the We Give Blood drive help local donation centers like ImpactLife reach new donors and raise awareness of the importance of donating blood.
“It’s a great opportunity to get the word out there about the importance of blood donation. And with partnering with Abbott, that gives it another level to help vote for the schools,” she added. “It gets people really excited, maybe helps bring in some first-time donors that maybe wouldn’t have donated previously.”
The University of Illinois is currently ranked fifth on the leaderboard, with reigning champions the University of Wisconsin Madison in first place.
Students, faculty and fans can participate in the We Give Blood Challenge. Any donation made at a participating blood drive or center is eligible, with donations tracked through the Big Ten website.