| Armed Services Blood Program Newsletter |
May 15, 2012 | |
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From the Desk of:
COL Francisco Rentas, Director, ASBPO
 In this issue, we share one mother's perspective on donating blood, show you how some high school students have stepped-up to support the military blood program, and honor the service members who have lost their lives while serving our country. Finally, we are proud to announce that Look-Back team members at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center were recently awarded the Patient and Family Centered Care Recognition award.
On behalf of the entire Armed Services Blood Program, I would like to wish all of the mothers who have donated, volunteered or supported a son or daughter in the military a very happy Mother's Day. I would also like to recognize, on this Memorial Day, the brave men and women who have lost their lives while serving this country. All of our supporters--mothers, service members and civilians alike--save lives through their donations, time and dedication. Thank you!
Warm regards,
COL Francisco Rentas
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Warriors Come From Warriors: A Mother's Perspective
Marilyn Durso cherishes a Mother's Day gift that she calls "a sweet acknowledgment from a son to his mother."
It's a shirt with the words "Warriors Come From Warriors" sprawled across the front that her son, Army 1st Lt. Greg Durso, gave her a few years ago while he was attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
"Wearing it meant more to me personally than wearing it for 'show,'" she said, explaining why she wore the shirt under sweaters during her son's deployment.
When her son returned home, Marilyn donated blood April 13 for warriors and their families through the Armed Services Blood Program. While donating blood, she met several warriors and another "Warriors-Come-From-Warriors" mother.
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Photo: Marilyn Durso donates blood at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., with her son, Greg, a platoon leader with the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y., by her side. Greg Durso recently returned to the U.S. from deployment in Afghanistan. He and his mother visited three of his friends recovering from severe injuries at Walter Reed.
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No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month
The Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune and the Swansboro High School Health Occupation Clinical Program have spent a few years building a vital relationship. So after a single face-to-face meeting with clinical program facilitators Denise Meekins and Leslie Dick, it was obvious that the relationship would be moving to a new level-sponsoring blood drives. After Meekins and Dick took a field trip to tour the blood donor center, they fully understood that their involvement would result in saving lives.
As the blood drive date drew closer, Hospitalman Kara Nicoli, a hospital corpsman and a student clinical coordinator for the Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, was doing all she could to facilitate the date. She ensured potential donors were provided with essential information prior to donation, parking was available and rest areas were provided for donors. Her efforts did not go unnoticed. When students arrived to the blood donor center, they were eager and enthusiastic about rolling up their sleeves to donate blood. The clinical program students knew exactly why they were donating, as many of them stated "to support our country's service members."
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
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Photo: Hospitalman Kara Nicoli, a hospital corpsman and student clinical coordinator for Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, stands with students from Swansboro High School's Health Occupation Clinical Program.
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month
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Social Media Helps Save Young Girl's Life
Sending out a call for blood and blood products used to be a lot more complicated; but social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are making collecting blood much easier. In fact, when the family of young Haley, used social media to share her story, her life was changed forever.
Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Photo: Haley was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, brain and spinal cord cancer. After life-saving surgery and the help of donors, Haley is now at home with her family and best friend Lovey.
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Blood Product Look-Back Team Earns Award for Excellence
BETHESDA, Md.--The Armed Services Blood Program's Preventive Medicine Blood Look-Back Team at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earned the medical center's Patient and Family Centered Care Recognition award April 19 during a ceremony held at the Walter Reed memorial auditorium.
Created in 2001, the look-back teams throughout the military perform follow-up counseling and testing of American service members, who received not fully tested blood during wartime on an emergency, said the Army Blood Program Deputy Director Lt. Col. Ken Davis, who was designated as the look-back program manager for the Armed Services Blood Program in October 2006. Read the entire story on the ASBP website.
Photo: The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Commander Rear Adm. Alton Stocks presents the Patient and Family Centered Care Recognition award to the Army's Preventive Medicine Blood Look-Back Team April 19 during a ceremony held at the medical center's memorial auditorium. Pictured (from left): Lt. Cmdr. Shawn Clausen, assistant chief of staff for Public Health Department Head, Preventive Medicine; Mindy Kania, the Blood Look-Back Program; Stocks; Constance Klare, Preventive Medicine adult nurse practitioner; and, Army Maj. Lisa Lute, chief of the Public health Nursing/Clinical Preventive Medicine. (Photo courtesy of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center)
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Honor. Serve. Sacrifice. On Memorial Day, Americans all over the country recognize the men and women who have died while serving in the military. Historically, flowers were placed on the graves of those lost to battle. Today, there are many different ways to honor loved ones lost while serving the country, including by donating blood.