Tripler Blood Donor Center Holds 7th Annual Donor Appreciation Ceremony

05/11/2011
By Michelle Lele, ASBP Blood Donor Recruiter, Tripler, Hawaii

The Tripler Blood Donor Center gave out 32 of these specially made Purple Heart blood drop plaques to individuals and units whose dedication to the Armed Services Blood Program allowed the donor center to collect more than 7,000 units of blood in 2010.

Each year, extraordinary individuals come out of the woodwork to support the Armed Services Blood Program. 2010 was a great year for the Tripler Blood Donor Center as more than 7,000 units of blood were collected from volunteer donors. Recently, the blood donor center staff was joined by more than 140 attendees at the 7th Annual Donor Appreciation Ceremony to honor those special donors, unit coordinators and units who take time out of their busy schedules to save lives.

During the ceremony, guests were treated to two guest speakers—Lt. Col. Ronald Gagliano, director of general surgery residency and assistant chief of general surgery at the Tripler Army Medical Center, and Colleen Gray, whose son has required regular blood transfusions since he was born.

Gagliano had just left the operating room before he attended the ceremony as a guest speaker. He spoke about his surgeons making use of blood donations to help a patient with a ruptured blood vessel.

“The work that you have done is saving a man’s life right now with my team,” Gagliano said. “There’s nothing more I can say to that other than thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Gray shared a story about her son,whose several medical problems, including stage two kidney failure, have caused him to require a blood transfusion once a month since he was born.

“My husband and I are unable to donate blood to my son, so I have to depend on people like you [the donors] to help Mark,” she said. Despite his ailments, the energetic 16-month-old crawled vigorously around the stage during the ceremony—living proof of the life-saving effects of donating blood.

“I don’t know what we would do if we didn’t have blood available,” Gray said. “If it weren’t for people donating blood, I wouldn’t have my baby here.”

After the guest speakers, Col. J. Anson Smith, chief of staff of the Pacific Regional Medical Command and the Tripler Army Medical Center, presented certificates and plaques to the honorees, thanking them for their dedication to the military blood program.

Retired Chief Warrant Officer Clifton Jenkins, a strong supporter of the Armed Services Blood Program who is often counted on to donate at a moment’s notice, was among Tripler’s top donors. Since 2007, Jenkins has donated over three gallons of blood, and looks forward to the opportunity to give more.

“I know a few soldiers that received blood during their tour in the Middle East. This is my way to help people that is life-saving and it doesn’t cost anything,” said Jenkins.

A list of all of the night’s honorees can be found below.

Remember, the act of giving blood is a generous and selfless gift. The Tripler Blood Donor Center travels to Maui, Kauai, Big Island and Alaska to help meet an adequate supply of blood to support those recovering at the Tripler Army Medical Center as well as the service men and women downrange. The Armed Services Blood Program celebrates those individuals who are the core of our program—our dedicated blood and platelet donors—and sends out a heartfelt thank you to all!

To learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program or to make an appointment, visit us online: www.militaryblood.dod.mil. To interact directly with some of our staff or to get the latest news, visit us here: www.facebook.com/militaryblood.

Top Platelet Donors:
Christopher Dunalp
Frank Lange
Jennifer Buchanan
Elizabeth Gocong
Peter Peng
Brock Benson
Karl Dye
Robert Fowler
Standford Robinson II

Top Whole Blood Donors:
Harry Beasor, Jr.
Charles Brown
Elisha Cole
Clifton Jenkins
Jacqueline Smith
Clyde Wong
David Woo

Top Blood Coordinators:
Spc. Robert Maldonado
613th Air and Space Operations Center
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Dawn Dillow
Kunia Tunnel
Sgt. Jefferey King
84th Engineer Battalion Schofield

Community Support:
UH ROTC – Army
UH ROTC – Air Force
Schofield EX
Navy EX

Top Units:
3rd Marine Regiments
Kunia Tunnel
84th Engineers Battalion
Pearl Harbor Shipyard
Camp Smith
205th MI Battalion Fort Shafter

Tripler Army Medical Center Blood Battles:
Alpha Company
Charlie Company

Phlebotomist of the Year:
Apati Lave