In this issue...Be a Holiday Hero this Winter ................................Pg. 1LifeServe Takes the Capitol .....................................Pg. 2Thank You Media & Community Partners .............Pg. 2A Life Saved ................................................................Pg. 3New Home for Urbandale Donor Center ..............Pg. 4Festival of Trees & Lights .........................................Pg. 4

It’s something we experience every year: a drastic drop in

donations during the winter. There are a number of factors

working against our goal of a stable blood supply: holiday

traditions and travel, flu season, snowbirds flying south

during the cold months, and unpredictable Midwestern winter

weather. With this perfect storm of busy schedules and

hindrances, our LifeServers often push their blood donation

appointments to the back burner.

“We certainly understand that people are busy during the

holidays and would prefer to stay in when it’s snowy out, but

those in the hospital don’t get the luxury of putting off their

need for blood or scheduling their medical crisis,” said Claire

DeRoin, Community Relations Coordinator.

While we may have a steady supply one day, a blizzard could

strike the next week, leaving us with bare shelves. Please make

a point to donate blood this winter! We might predict a dip in

donations, but no one can predict when the need for lifesaving

blood will strike.

BE A HOLIDAYHERO THIS WINTER

1 hours it takes to give a whole blood donation

2 average number of times a donor gives blood per year

3 lives saved with one donation

5 days platelets survive before expiring

120 hospital partners LifeServe supports

2,200 mobile blood drives per year

200,000 people we need to donate per year

450,000 lives saved or sustained per year

Saving Lives Bythe Numbers:

CHECK US OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA!Facebook: LifeServe Blood Center

Twitter: @LifeServeBldCtr

Instagram: @LifeServeBloodCtr

Youtube: LifeServe Blood Center

LIFESERVE TAKES THE IOWA STATE CAPITOL

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITYAND MEDIA PARTNERS!

A special thank you to the media stations and community partners who joined us this year to help support our summer and winter blood drives! Your promotion and giveaways boosted our numbers and

will continue to do so in 2018 and we couldn’t be more thankful!

Media Sponsors: KJJY Nash Icon, KIX 101.1, KGGO, Life 107.1, Alpha Media Fort Dodge,KSUX 105.7, Alpha Media Mason City, 104.1 the WOLF, Carroll Broadcasting, KTIV & KCCI

Community Partners: Iowa Cubs, Iowa Barnstormers, Iowa Wild, Iowa Wolves, Casey’s, Iowa Pork

Producers Association, Sioux City Explorers, Heavenly Breads, United Fleet, Chick-fil-A, Sugar Shack Bakery

LifeServe Blood Center is hosting our 3rd annual Lobby Day at the Iowa State Capitol on Tuesday, January 23 from 7:30 – 9 AM to urge Iowa legislators to remove a sales tax on blood testing supplies that is negatively impacting our organization. The state of Iowa currently imposes a sales tax on LifeServe Blood Center for the acquisition of reagents and other critical supplies needed to perform required testing on donated blood for the hospital patients in our communities. Iowa is only one of three states that penalize community blood centers for their need to perform this required blood testing that ensures a safe blood supply.

LifeServe Blood Center is urging legislators to amend legislation that currently charges non-profit community blood centers in Iowa sales tax on various products we purchase to process and test volunteer blood donations. This tax not only increases the costs at all Iowa non-profit community blood centers but also increases healthcare costs for every Iowa patient who receives blood from a non-profit community blood center. LifeServe Blood Center is committed to lowering the cost of health care by being good stewards of our blood supply; this sales tax is an unnecessary burden that is hindering our ability to lower costs in the healthcare system.

The event at the Capitol on January 23 will bring together blood transfusion recipients, blood donors, and LifeServe Blood Center team members, board members, and volunteers to meet with legislators and discuss this issue. It is opportunity to educate legislators on the important work happening at our organization and in our laboratory to ensure a safe and stable blood supply for our community. We will also offer free blood typing to attendees, which will give them a small glimpse of the testing process impacted by this tax.

CHECK US OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA!Facebook: LifeServe Blood Center

Twitter: @LifeServeBldCtr

Instagram: @LifeServeBloodCtr

Youtube: LifeServe Blood Center

Megan’s blood need story began in November 2014 when she was 23 weeks pregnant with her third child: her first son, Evan. Around midday she rushed to the emergency room with spontaneous bleeding and was immediately admitted. Hospital staff told Megan and her husband that labor was beyond the point of no return and their son was too young to survive outside the womb.

“Pretty soon after that we realized he was going to die,” Megan said. The labor process took nearly a day and she bled on and off throughout. As medical staff struggled to control Megan’s bleeding, her hemoglobin count plummeted and she received several transfusions. Eventually Evan was born. At that point, Megan tearfully explained, “we said goodbye to our son and went home.”

The heartbreak didn’t end there. A few days later Megan woke up with more bleeding.Back in the emergency room, doctors determined she had a rare uterine malformation that, in Megan’s case, caused life-threatening massive bleeding. Over the next five hours, an interventional radiologist utilized arterial embolization in an attempt stabilize her. During that process she received 12 units of red blood cells, 6 units of plasma, and 2 units of platelets. When she woke up in the ICU, she received even more blood.

Since then, Megan and her husband have welcomed baby Genevieve into the world. “She certainly doesn’t replace Evan, but she brings fresh joy to our hearts,” Megan said. ” I would like to say to the people who donate blood thank you. I wouldn’t be alive and nor would Genevieve be there.”

A Life Saved

Upcoming Events! SHARE YOUR STORY!Has the need for blood impacted your life?Let us know!Email us at BloodDonor@lifeservebloodcenter.org.

Jan. 5 Iowa Wolves - Des Moines

Jan. 26 Alpha Media - Fort Dodge

Jan. 26 The Wolf - Yankton

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO HELP SAVE LIVES!Call 800.287.4903 or visit lifeservebloodcenter.org for more information.

A New Home for Urbandale Donor CenterLifeServe Blood Center is growing and relocating its Urbandale Donor Center to 10469 Hickman

Road; two doors down from the current location! The new Urbandale Donor Center is now open.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to move into a large space,” said Danielle West, Public

Relations and Marketing Manager. “We are growing thanks to our loyal blood donors, and we’re

happy to move to be able to accommodate the generous community of LifeServers,” said West.

The grand opening celebration will be held at the new Urbandale Donor Center on Thursday,

January 4 from 9:30 – 11:30 am. This event is open to the public. Tours will be provided and

attendees can schedule their next lifesaving appointments to give blood, platelets or

plasma at the new Urbandale Donor Center.

LifeServe was honored to partner with Blank Children’s

Hospital and sponsor this year’s Festival of Trees and

Lights. This year we sponsored a tree in memory of Erin

Moomey, who battled a courageous fight with leukemia,

during which she received many blood and platelet

transfusions.

LifeServe is the sole supplier of blood products to Blank

Children’s Hospital and are happy to be connected with

this great event. Cancer patients are the number one

recipient of blood donations. Many children at Blank

receive blood products from our generous blood donors.

DOUBLE POINTS IN JANUARY Happy National Blood Donor Month! As an extra special thanks to our lifesaving LifeServers, we’re awarding double points in January.

Visit a donor center or mobile blood drive anytime in January to receive double online store points.

Erin MoomeyErin was thoughtful, funny, caring and had a beautiful

smile. She was a daughter, sister, granddaughter, cousin

and a friend to everyone. She was a 5th grade student, a

dancer, and played both soccer

and basketball. She loved her

dog, Molly, and her goldfish,

Chloe. She was one awesome

kid!

Erin was diagnosed with Acute

Lymphoblastic Leukemia in

February 2013 when she was

just 10 years old. She never

complained or asked, “why me?”

She also never lost her sense of humor or her passion

to live life. Erin passed away on October 29, 2013 and is

missed beyond words.