The Donor - Winter 2005

NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR BLOOD DONORS WINTER 2005NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR BLOOD DONORS WINTER 2005

RISING TO THE CHALLENGEOF 7 JULY

“My chance to save even more lives”A platelet donor’s story

“My chance to save even more lives”A platelet donor’s story

PLUS F NEWS F LETTERS F AND F MUCH MORE

STAR ATTRACTIONWHY LIFE’S A WHIRL FOR CAROLSTAR ATTRACTIONWHY LIFE’S A WHIRL FOR CAROL

4 Why life’s a whirl for Carol Smillie One of TV’s best-known presenters is now starring in our campaign

6 News Update The latest news from around the country

9 No more excuses!How one donor managed to beat her needle phobia

10 Looking forward to Christmas togetherAfter beating a deadly blood disease, baby Keira is home for Christmas

12 Shades of redCrimson or scarlet? We look at the many colours of blood

14 Rising to the challengeHow we responded to the 7th July London bombings

16 “My chance to help save even more lives!”

Giving platelets was easy, discovered first-time donor Matt

20 Over to youCatch up with readers’ letters, plus health Q&As

21 Tom’s good deedsActor Tom Lister may play Emmerdale bad boy CarlKing, but as a blood donor he sets a good example

23 Finding the perfect matchWe go behind the scenes at the British BoneMarrow Registry to find out about its work

26 So thankful for my sightHow a corneal transplant saved Trish’s sight

28 A lifelong fascination with bloodMeet haematologist Dr Gordon Cook (right)

30 Ask The DoctorMedicines that can affect your ability to give blood

31 CrosswordAnother challenge for you

32 NBS Information

3WINTER 2005 THE DONOR

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In this issueIn this issue

The price of producing, printing and posting each copy of this magazine is less than the price of a first class stamp.The Donor is published by the National Blood Service (NBS) which is part of NHS Blood and Transplant. Reproduction in whole or part isstrictly forbidden without the prior permission of the NBS. Larger print versions are available via the website. Design and production -Ant Creative (London). Reproduction: Portland Media (London). Printed by Apple Web Offset on paper from sustainable forests.

COVER STORIES

4 THE DONOR WINTER 2005 5WINTER 2005 THE DONOR

You started out as an art student in Glasgow. Did youalways want to make acareer move into television?No, not at all. I fell into TV workcompletely by accident. I decided Ididn’t want to be a penniless artistso I moved into modelling in orderto earn some money. From there Iwas chosen to be the hostess onWheel of Fortune, which wasfilmed in my home town ofGlasgow. Apparently, I was chosenbecause I was one of the fewmodels who was shorter that thehost, Nicky Campbell. So for oncemy height – or lack of it! – workedin my favour and got me the job.How do you balance havingsuch a hectic career with being mum to Christie, Robbieand your youngest Jodie?We still live in Glasgow, which issomething that I’ve always insistedon. When I’m there with my kids

Why life’s a whirlfor Carol Smillie Why life’s a whirlfor Carol Smillie

LIFE STORYLIFE STORYl Born on 23rd December 1961

in Glasgowl 1988, makes her first TV

appearance as the hostess on Wheel of Fortune

l 1990, marries restaurateur AlexKnight. The couple have threechildren: Christie, Robbie and Jodie

l 1992, begins her presenting careeron BBC2’s Holiday after time spent on local radio in Scotland

l 1996, Changing Rooms begins on BBC2. After a switch to BBC1 it regularly pulls in more than 10 million viewers

l 1998, surprised by Michael Aspel when she receives the big redbook on This is Your Life

l 2005, goes back to her artistic roots as the presenter of ITV1’s A Brush with Fame l

She’s just finished presenting the ITV1 art show A Brush with Fame, but Carol Smillie will be backon the box soon in our Give Blood campaign

and my husband, Alex, I lead a verynormal family life as Mrs CarolKnight. Much as I love my job, TV

Carol photographed duringthe making of our recenttelevision campaign

You needed blood after givingbirth to your son, Robbie, in1997.What happened?After Robbie was born, I suddenlybegan losing lots of blood. Luckily Iwas still in hospital so I could betreated very quickly. I receivedthree units of blood, which waspretty crucial in helping merecover. At the time I wasn’t reallyaware of how serious the situationwas, but my family certainly were.In some ways it was scarier forthem having to watch what washappening than it was for me.Did you ever think that you’dend up needing blood?It never crossed my mind that Iwould need blood after havingRobbie. I’d had some problemswhen I was pregnant with myeldest daughter Christie, who’snow ten, but nothing as serious.Although when it did happen Idon’t think there was a momentwhen either my family or I thoughtblood wouldn’t be available. It justgoes to show how much you relyon volunteer donors to make surethe blood is there.You’ve shared your storythrough the Give Blood

COVER STORY

presenting can be a very shallowprofession so it’s important to beable to go back home to normalityand get away from it all. l

television and radio adverts.Why did you decide to sup-port us in this way?Aside from the fact that blooddonors helped save my life, I alsoused to be a regular donor. I alwaysfound it such an easy thing to do.It’s not painful and only takes halfan hour, and yet you feel reallygood afterwards because youknow you’re helped someone.Sadly, having had a transfusion I

can’t give anymore. Lots of myfamily do though, so we’re stilldoing our bit to help. Why do you think so few people become regularblood donors?I think it’s one of those things thatmost people are willing to do butjust never get round to. Yet if it wasyour child or another close familymember who needed blood,you’d be off to hospital like a shotto give what they needed. Peopleshould think of donating not assomething that helps a stranger,but something which could behelping someone they know.

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Carol has moved on from the DIY programmes that made her well-known across the UK

6 THE DONOR WINTER 2005

News Update • News Update • News Update • News Update • News Update • News Update • News Update •

Donors are being asked to help unlock thesecrets behind six major diseases. Coronary

heart disease, Diabetes type 1 (early onset) andtype 2 (late onset), inflammatory bowel disease(such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis),hypertension and bipolar disorder (manicdepression) are all common diseases that affect millions of lives worldwide.

An extra blood sample from donors, givenwith their permission, will be analysed by scien-tists who hope to identify inherited geneticmarkers that show the risk of someone develop-ing each disease. We have teamed up withCambridge University haematology departmentto provide UK data for this international study.

So, at your session, there’s a chance you’ll be

Helping unlock medical secretsOur recent research findings on blood donation highlight that

there’s still a shortage of ethnic donors in Britain. Only threeper cent of the 1.6 million people who gave blood last year camefrom Asian, African and African Caribbean communities. Yet aboutseven per cent of the UK population are from ethnic minorities.

“The research speaks for itself,” saysRakesh Vasishtha, (pictured right) fromour communications team. “It is clearthat we have a lot more work to do toget our message across to everyone within ethnic communities that donating blood is quick, safe, easy andcould save a life.

By making the issues clear we hope toincrease awareness about the importanceof blood donation and encourage moreethnic people to donate.”l

There’s a lot of work to do

Your new-lookinvitation letter,

is on its way (right)!The information isthe same,but it’spresented in afresher,more user-friendly style.We made thechanges after asuccessful pilotscheme back inthe summer.

You’ll findyour session details orconfirmation of your donation appointment onthe top left-hand side of the letter,below youraddress.On the right-hand side you’ll see anynew information that we need to let you know.We hope that with these changes you will be ableto see everything at a glance.

These letters will be rolling out during themonth of December.l


Following our mergerwith UK Transplant

(UKT) on 1st October 2005we are now an operatingdivision of the new organisation NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)alongside UKT and BioProducts Laboratory.

The new chairman ofNHSBT is Bill Fullagar. Martin Gorham, previouslychief executive of theNational Blood Authority, hasbeen appointed to the sameposition with NHSBT. Our contact details,www.blood.co.uk andphone 0845 7 711 711 are unchanged. l

NHS Blood andTransplant

Donor and superkart racerNigel Charman fromPortishead, Bristol, hasswapped his ‘go fasterstripes’for our red, whiteand blue corporate coloursand emblazoned hissuperkart with our logo, all to help highlight thelife-saving work we do.Let’s hope racing fans getthe Give Blood message.l

asked to provide an additional blood sample.These samples will be compared with thosefrom people known to be living with one of thediseases. All samples are given on a voluntarybasis and are anonymous. At least 3,000 sam-ples are being collected from over 100 sessionsbetween September 2005 and March 2006. l

In the coming few months we will be asking 3,000 donors to takepart in a study to evaluate new tests being developed to detect vCJD

in donated blood. As with other blood tests, before a test can be introduced in this country, we need to make sure it works properly.

We will be asking donors, chosen completely at random, if they would bewilling to have their blood donationused for this purpose. Participation inthe study is entirely voluntary.Donations used in the evaluation willhave all identifying informationremoved, so it will be impossible totrace any donation, and any testresults, back to a donor.

If you are asked at a session if youwould like to volunteer then pleaserest assured you have been asked atrandom.You’ll be asked to sign aconsent form which will carefullyexplain exactly how your blood andthe results will be used. l

IMPORTANT

INFORMATION

Med

ical Fact File

Update August 2004

Variant CJD and

blood donation

Watch out for changes to the Donor HealthCheck (DHC). To comply with new blood

safety and quality rules we’ve altered some questions and revised the donor consent form.Please make sure you read this new form carefully.

The new DHC was introduced on 1st November,so by now all donors should be receiving the newforms. You can identify the new DHC by the greyband printed along the top of the page (the oldDHC had a black band). Please make sure youdon’t bring along the old DHC to your next session,as sadly we won’t be able to accept it. l

What’s new?

Donor Health Check changes

Help us test the tests


Two of our Newcastle staffhave raised £1,000 forCancer Research UK by taking part in the gruellingC2C (Sea to Sea) Challenge.They cycled 140 miles injust three days – fromWhitehaven on the westcoast of Cumbria toTynemouth on the northeast coast.

Over the 2005/6 season,fans from Barnsley,Chesterfield, Derby County,Doncaster Rovers,Leicester City, Lincoln City,Nottingham Forest,Rotherham United,Sheffield United andSheffield Wednesday arebeing urged to give blood.Each new or regular donorwill earn valuable pointsfor their team. In May,whichever club has registered the most donors will be crowned the first ever Life-saverLeague Champion.

It’s all happening inLiverpool. We’ve justopened our new donorcentre in Moorfields. Whileover at Speke, staff havemoved into a new purpose-built HQ, which isnow our blood centre forthe region. Also housedthere are all tissue servicesfor the north of England,the frozen blood bank,and the autologous tears project. l

In brief....

News Update • News Update • News Update • News Up

Back in August, Channel 4viewers watched ‘Saving DJ

Swing’, a programme about BrianDaley, a MOBO award-winning DJ, who needs a bone marrowtransplant.

Last year, Brian, known as DJSwing, was told that he is suffering from multiple myeloma –a rare bone marrow cancer. His story demonstrated howimportant it is that people fromdiverse ethnic backgrounds volun-teer as blood and bone marrowdonors. The programme finished

Record calls to save DJ Swing

The Birmingham centre recently teamed up with the Organisationfor Sickle Cell Anaemia Research (OSCAR) to run an awareness

event for children living with sickle cell anaemia.The two-day event was full of fun but carried a serious message.

Children designed posters, made balloon blood drops and createdradio adverts with local radio station Galaxy 102.2, to encouragemore people from Birmingham’s African Caribbean community tosign-up and give blood. l

Birmingham’s OSCAR

with a request for any potentialdonors to ring our helpline.

The programme ended tenminutes after midnight. Weexpected to receive around 100calls – four times what we mightget normally. We actually received1,800 calls in the hour followingthe programme – the biggestresponse we have ever receivedfrom a TV programme.

Let’s hope that one of thosecallers proves to be a bone marrow match for a patient whodesperately needs one.l

No more excuses!This summer, 22-year-old SamanthaWood gave blood for the very first time.It was a big deal for her because whileit was something she had alwayswanted to do, she was terrified ofneedles. But after a serious motorbikeaccident put her boyfriend in hospital,Sam decided she had to face up to herphobia and beat it.“Joe needed lots of blood transfusionsto save his life and help him on theroad to recovery,” says Sam. “I decidedthen that I had to put my fears behindme. I would like to thank the donorteam for making my first time not bad!Everyone was friendly, caring andreassuring and although I was stillscared…I did it! Which meant I coulddo for someone else what donors haddone for my loved one. Thanks to theselfless donations made by incrediblepeople, Joe is still with us.” l

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needed blood products to pullthrough – red cells to combatanaemia, platelets to preventbleeding and white cells to fightinfection. Then, on 7th January,she received cord bloodcontaining the vital stem cellsthat would start producinghealthy blood cells for her.

Donated blood actuallyhelped save Keira’s life threetimes – first, after her boweloperation; secondly, when shewas being prepared for her stemcell transplant, and thirdly, whenshe received the cord bloodtransplant. In total Keira receivednine units of red cells, 44 ofwhite cells and seven of platelets.

By the end of February shewas out of hospital. Louise,Mark, and Keira’s brother andsister Danny and Tia wereoverjoyed to have Keira home.

“But,” says Louise, “I felt sucha responsibility looking after her,

knowing what she’d beenthrough. She was on 12medications a day!”

Now the family are alllooking forward toChristmas. Says Louise,“Thanks to donors andstaff at both hospitalswhere Keira was treated,we will be having our best Christmasever this year. I can’t wait!” l

“I remember one night I wentdown the corridor to make a cupof tea as it was quiet,” recallsLouise. “By the time I returned tothe ward, intensive care staff hadrushed to Keira’s bedside with aresuscitation trolley.”

Urgent transplantKeira’s only hope of recovery wasto have a stem cell transplant,which doctors hoped wouldallow her body to make whitecells normally. In the daysfollowing Christmas, Keira beganslowly recovering her strength,and was judged well enough forthe transplant to go ahead.

But first she faced strongchemotherapy to wipe out herown, diseased bone marrow.The treatment was aggressiveand left Keira without anydefences of her own to fight

infection. Again, she

Each drop of blood containshundreds of white cells, whichplay a vital part in the body’sdefence system. They protectagainst infection by all kinds ofbacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms. These white cells(pictured below) can pass through

capillary walls and attack, kill andconsume intruder germs. Thereare different types of white cells,and they all do different jobs.Baby Keira’s condition meant shewas short of neutrophils, specialcells that attack invading germsby engulfing them. About 40 percent of white cells areneutrophils. A further 40 per centof white cells are lymphocytes.These are part of the body’simmune system, and produceantibodies that kill or neutraliseinvading germs. Basocytes andmonocytes make up theremaining 20 per cent of whitecells, and are also part of thebody’s immune system.

TINY FIGHTERS TINY

FIGHTERS white cell count, she’dcontracted a bowel infection,and underwent a six houremergency operation.

The surgeon removed 30cm ofinfected bowel, a huge amountfor such a tiny baby. To help herrecover, Keira received red cellsto combat anaemia and whitecells to fight the infection. Sheremained desperately ill forweeks, and couldn’t come homefor her first Christmas. Her life hung in thebalance, and everyday was uncertain.

Tiny baby Keira needed dozens of transfusions to help her survive a rare blood disease.Now she’s back home with her family,

and her mum Louise can’t wait for Christmas

HOSPITAL EMERGENCY

Louise Quigley alwayshad a hunch there wassomething wrong with

her baby, Keira. Prone to infections, on and off antibiotics, “She just neverseemed quite right,” recallsLouise. Yet the GP could findnothing wrong with her otherwise normal baby.

But last November when Keirawent for her three-monthinoculations, the GP found shehad a sky-high temperature. Thiswas at 3pm; by 5pm Keira wasadmitted to hospital locally forurgent tests. Anaemia wassuspected, but unfortunately forLouise it wasn’t that simple.

Louise and her partner Markspent five agonising days in theNuneaton hospital, watching asKeira deteriorated.

“We already knew she had ablood problem, but then herstomach started to swell – herskin was so over-stretched that itwas shiny,” says Louise. “Thatnight was absolutely the worst ofmy life; Keira was screaming inpain and we couldn’t help her.”

The next day Keira wastransferred to BirminghamChildren’s Hospital. There shewas diagnosed with

congenital neutropeniaKostmann’s syndrome – a rareblood condition that results in anabnormally low number of whitecells being produced.

Critical conditionBy the time she arrived at thechildren’s hospital she was in acritical condition. Due to her low

Looking forward to Chri stmas togetherLooking forward to Chri stmas together

Louise can’t wait forChristmas when all thefamily will be hometogether

As Christmas and New Year approach, pleaseremember to make time to donate.

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11WINTER 2005 THE DONOR 10 THE DONOR WINTER 2005

THE DONOR WINTER 2005 13WINTER 2005 THE DONOR

Shades of redShades of redHave you everwondered why yourblood seems to be adifferent shade of redfrom the donor on thenext bed? Have youbeen concerned yourblood looks more likeRibena than thefinest Merlot?Although all blood isred, the shades varybetween donors andcan even be used toindicate health issues

BLOOD FACTS

On average there are 35trillion red blood cells,suspended in plasma,

circulating in your body at anyone time. Red cells are filled withhaemoglobin, a pigment madeof iron and protein, and it is this haemoglobin that gives yourblood its red colour.

Blood naturally changes colourduring its journey around yourbody. When you take a breath,the inhaled oxygen in your lungsattaches itself to haemoglobin inthe red cells. At this point, yourblood is oxygenated and a srong,bright poppy-red.

On their journey around your

bacterial contamination orincorrect storage. They are alsovigilant for blood whichappears to be clumped orclotted or which looks darkerin patches and may beunsuitable for transfusion.

The colour of plasma,which is usually straw-yellow, also variesenormously. Its colour canbe seen after the blood hasbeen separated, and the redcells removed. Some oralcontraceptives turn plasmabright green and self-tanning pills may make itgo a fluorescent orange!

Plasma is usually a clearyellow. However, it canlook cloudy occasionally.This can be caused by anumber of things. Youcould simply have eatensome fatty food beforegiving blood, or it couldbe caused by anunderlying conditionrelated to a high fat

Having bright red blood isnot necessarily a sign of goodhealth. Heavy smokers mayproduce a vividly coloureddonation because carbonmonoxide in cigarette smokeis attached much more easilyto red cells than oxygen.

The blood is bright redbecause of the presence of a cherry-red compoundcalled carboxyhaemoglobin,which forms when carbonmonoxide binds to haemoglobin. If blood lookspinkish, it may be due to a high level of water insoluble

fats, called lipaemia. Lipaemiacan be inherited or caused by afatty diet.

Wine buffs may like to knowthat claret-coloured bloodsuggests haemoglobin may beleaking from the red cells; anatural part of blood’s ageingprocess called haemolysis.

Colour matchYou might be surprised to knowour staff back at the centres lookout for darker donations becausedeep shades imply possible

content in the body. It mayeven indicate a problem withthe donation with regard tobacteria.

Our staff are trained tonotice these differences andact accordingly. In mostcases colour and cloudinessare not a problem. But, inrare instances, it might meanreferring the donor to theirGP, or in the case of possiblebacterial contamination, notusing the donation, just to

be on the safe side.So, the next time you tuck into

an oily curry the night before youdonate, have a think about whatcolour your blood might be. l

Did you know … The importance of blood colourhas endured through history,surviving in expressions we usetoday.The term ‘blue-blooded’,implying that someone is royal,was taken from the Spanish sangreazul and was adopted by theEnglish in the 1830s.The Englisharistocracy spent little timeoutdoors in the sunlight andpowdered and painted their skinwhite. Commoners believed thataristocrats had blue blood in theirveins as this was how the veinsappeared through such pale,translucent skin. Another well-known expression,‘red-blooded’,now means ‘vigorous’ or ‘virile’ butmay have originated from malewarriors returning from battle andbeing bloodied.

What does the colour of your blood say about you?

body, red cells exchange oxygenfor carbon dioxide which returnsto your lungs through your veins.The carbon dioxide is exhaledand the whole process beginsagain. At the end of its journey,your blood will appear a darkershade of red.

Blood is the transport systemof your body. It not only carriesenergy to the cells but it alsocarries anything else that youingest or absorb through yourskin. Which also helps to explainwhy not everyone’s blood is thesame shade.

A blood pack as a donor wouldsee it at a session,with a deeptone of red

Karen Ince from Brentwoodcomparing a donationagainst the colour chart

When you take abreath...your bloodis oxygenated and abright poppy-red

colour. At the end ofits journey,your

blood will appear adarker shade of red

Our scientific staff havedeveloped methods ofvisually checking thecolour of your donation,as an additional safety

measure. Much like adecorator’s colour chart,donations are compared toa set of standard colourshades. Using colourmetricstandards is another waywe can help provide saferblood to the patient.

12

On the day...Nine hospitals receivedemergency deliveries from ourBrentwood, Colindale andTooting centres. Skin wasrequested on stand-by to treatblast victims, but was notrequired until several days later.We issued

l red cells – 978 unitsl platelets – 36 units

l plasma – 441 units

at Guy’s hospital continued tooperate as normal.

Donor responseWe needed to talk to our donorstoo. We knew they’d have heardthe news and would want tohelp. We had to send out a clearmessage about what we wouldlike them to do. With the help of

the media, our helpline,website and through

donor sessions,the message


Within 90 minutes of the violent explosions thatripped apart three tube train carriages and a London bus, our emergency plans were in full swing, delivering emergency blood and blood

components just where they were needed

BEHIND THE SCENES

Rising to thechallengeRising to thechallengeWe hoped we’d never

have to use ourEmergency Plans for

a terrorist attack, but sadly on 7thJuly, they were tested to the full.

These plans are a set of triedand tested procedures designedto cover a huge range ofemergencies, from the simplebreakdown of a blood bankfridge to a mass casualty incidentsuch the London bombings.

The first signs that there was amajor incident developing in theheart of London came shortlyafter 9.00am. Our nationalemergency planning manager,Chris Hodson, on duty that day,started to receive a number ofunofficial calls suggesting therewas a problem. As events in

London unfolded, Chris and histeam decided to activate ouremergency procedures.

The first step was to look atour blood stock levels. We wereconfident that we could supportthe hospitals coping with thegrowing number of casualties.

We aim to keep our blood stocks at around eight dayssupply; our experience showsthat this amount is enough tomeet both normal day-to-daydemands and sudden demandsdue to a major incident, such as abomb or big industrial accident.

“Stocks are good,wecan cope with the

current demand,butplease keep your

appointments in thecoming days and weeksto help replenish stockand replace the blood

that was used”

The next step wasto prioritise orders forblood from thosehospitals receivingcasualties from the bomb blasts, and try to keep non-emergency deliveriesto other hospitals to aminimum. Then wecould concentrate on copingwith the unfolding emergency.

In total, nine hospitals receivedemergency deliveries using ourtrained ’blue light’ drivers. Trafficwas at a standstill in many partsof London, and one of the firstdrivers to deliver blood had to begiven a police escort to UniversityCollege Hospital. That day allhospital orders were met in full.

We did our best to continue asnormal, despite transport inLondon being chaotic. With thetube network closed, staff at ourWest End donor centre had towalk to work. When theyarrived, they were kept busyhelping the many donors comingthrough the door. Also, withaccess to Whitehall closed, ourplanned session at the Houses ofParliament that day had to becancelled, but the bloodmobile

went out that, “Stocks are good,we can cope with the currentdemand, but please keep yourappointments in the comingdays and weeks to help replenishstocks and replace the blood thatwas used today.”

Donors responded to thenews positively. On a normalThursday we’d expect ourhelpline to receive 3,000 – 3,500calls. On 7th July we receivedover 10,000 – our highest-evercall rate. With the help andsupport of our donors and staff,we were well prepared for theterrible events of 7th July .

Most importantly, because ofdonors’ fantastic support wewere able to meet the demandsplaced on us, while maintaininga completely normal service to allour other hospitals. l

An issue you may not think about in such an emergency is the requirement for skin.Skin can be donated after death and is mainly used to treat patients with severeburns covering over 50 per cent of the body.

Requests for skin are usually made three to five days after the burns incident.On 13th July a large order of skin was requested, which did for a short timedeplete the national stocks of banked skin.

The need for skinThe need for skin


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PLATELET DONATION

“My chance to help save even more lives!”

At my fifth whole blooddonation, I was askedif I was interested in

becoming a platelet donor. Ithought why not? Platelets arein huge demand by patientsand as they can only be kept for

five days, new platelet donorsare always sought after.

“The first step started thereand then at my donor session. Along with the routine bloodsamples to test for infectionssuch as HIV, another sample was

taken. My donorcarer explained thatplatelet donors need to have amuch higher thanaverage number ofplatelets in theirblood (known asyour platelet count)so that enoughplatelets can becollected from eachdonation to maketwo to three adultdoses.

“She told me thatonly around 20 – 30per cent of wholeblood donors whoare tested haveenough, so thesample was tocheck if I was one ofthose few.

“After my initial

platelet count sample, I wasinvited back to the BirminghamDonor Centre for a second test,as platelet count levels canfluctuate. I was taken around the

centre and shown how the cellseparator machines work. I’d behooked up to it for about 90minutes while it separated myplatelets from my blood and

returned the rest back to me.After chatting to some of theother platelet donors, I knew thatif I could, it was something I justhad to do.

Getting the green light “Soon after, I received a lettertelling me I could donate. Whenthe big day arrived I must admit Iwas pretty nervous, but knowingthat I was going to help save livessettled me. It also helpedknowing I would be able towatch England play in The Asheson one of the TVs at the centre!

“On arrival at the centre, Ifollowed the same booking-inand confidential health checkprocess I do normally. Then it wastime to go to my bed where I met

Already a blood donor, Matt Croxall, from our Birmingham Centre, was recently asked if he’d like to become a platelet donor.

He said yes. Here’s what happened.

People with a low platelet count will bleed fora long time if injured. But if the platelet countis very low, as it can be for people with canceror leukaemia, or whose bone marrow is notworking following treatment, spontaneousbleeding can occur even without injury.

That’s when transfusions of platelets may be life-saving. Platelets may be neededevery day whilst the platelet count is low. Andsome patients require platelet transfusions forseveral weeks.

Sometimes, after major surgery or extensiveinjury, patients may need platelet transfusionsto replace those lost through bleeding.Platelet transfusions may also be needed forbabies born prematurely, or with a poorlyfunctioning bone marrow, or whose plateletshave been destroyed by antibodies in theirmother’s blood. Platelets for such babies areall made from the donations of plateletdonors like Matt.

Who needs platelets?Who needs platelets?

Every whole-blood donor gives

platelets along with red cells and

plasma. These platelets can be

combined with those from three

other donors of the same blood

group to provide enough

platelets to treat one patient.

But platelets have a short shelf

life – just five days – so we need

to constantly replenish our

stocks. That’s why platelet

donors like Matt are so valuable,

because they provide two or

three adult platelet doses every

time they donate.

Why are specialplatelet donorsneeded?

Why are specialplatelet donorsneeded?

“

Matt Croxall with donor carer Dianne Jacobs


Unfortunately not everyonewho is a blood donor can giveplatelets. To become a donoryou need:l to have given bloodwithout any problems such asfainting or bruisingl to be blood group O, A or B(group AB patients can be given group A platelets)l to be aged between 18 and60 (65 for regular donors)l to have a higher thanaverage platelet countl to be able to attend one ofour static centres at leasteight to ten times a yearl You should not be takingaspirin or any of the anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen

Could you bea plateletdonor?

Could you bea plateletdonor?

“For me,the hardest part of the entire

process was knowing that I had to

keep my arm still throughout the

donation. But everything proved to be

much easier than I ever imagined”

Dianne Jacobs, who would lookafter me.

“Dianne put various data intothe cell separator machine,including my weight and plateletcount. This then cleverlycalculated that I would be on themachine for 76 minutes. Dianneexplained that the minimumplatelet count level for a donor is150, and that my platelet countwas quite high at 230. This reallyhelped to massage my male ego!

“Dianne offered me the optionof having a local anaestheticinjection so that I wouldn’t feelthe needle throughout thedonation period. I immediatelyaccepted. I was concerned that Imight feel woozy after it, butDianne reassured me that only atiny amount of anaesthetic needsto be given.

Relaxing“I hardly felt a thing when theneedle was inserted, and I startedto relax. Several blood sampleswere taken through this needle.As well as those for routinedonation testing, a sample wastaken to check protein levels inmy blood, and another tomeasure my red cell, white celland platelet count (what’s calleda full blood count).

“Another sample was taken toidentify my unique tissue type.Knowing a donor’s tissue type isvital because some patients needvery closely matched platelets,and occasionally donors will becalled in to donate specially forthese patients.

“Dianne kept checking if I wasokay, and told me to tell her if I

started to feel different at all, sothat she could make necessaryadjustments to the machine.

“After a while I started to feel atingling in my lips, but Diannereassured me that it was just aslight sensitivity to the anti-coagulant, called citrate, which isadded to the process to stop theblood components clottinginside the machine.

Feeling proud“After 76 tense minutes of

straw-coloured liquid: a doubleadult dose or eight infant dosesof my very own platelets! It wasreally amazing to think that thisinnocuous-looking liquid is life-saving. I felt incredibly proud andrather special because not allwhole blood donors are able tobecome platelet donors.

“And I must admit it was agreat chance to sit down and putmy feet up whilst doingsomething worthwhile. I’lldefinitely be back and I plan todonate every month. I mighteven bring some work to do!”l

watching Australia doing far toowell for my liking, the machinebegan bleeping. This was thesign that the donation wasfinished. Dianne took out theneedle and again I didn’t reallyfeel a thing. For me, the hardestpart of the entire process wasknowing that I had to keep myarm still throughout thedonation. But everything provedto be much easier than I everimagined.

“In total, I donated 419ml of

Platelets are disc-shaped cell fragments in the blood which help it to

clot. Under the microscope, they look like small plates – hence the

name! They are formed from large cells in the bone marrow called

megakaryocytes and normally survive about ten days in the blood

before they are broken down by the spleen. Their function is to stop

bleeding. If you cut yourself, platelets immediately move to the cut

area and stick together to form a plug to stop the bleeding (pictured

above). The platelets also release substances which stimulate other

clotting factors in the blood.

These act to form a firm fibrous clot in which the platelets are

embedded. You can see your platelets in action if you fall over and cut

your knee. Bleeding will occur for three to five minutes and then a red

clot will form to stop the bleeding. This is the platelet plug. After this,

a firm blood clot or fibrous scab will form, which will remain in place

until the wound has healed.

What are platelets? What are platelets?

Donating plateletsstarts with the samefinger-prick tests asnormal blood donation

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OVER TO YOU

This is your chance to tell us your news, views and interesting or unusual donor stories. Write to Penny Richardson,Editor, The Donor, NBS, 14 Estuary Banks, Speke,Liverpool, L24 8RB or [email protected]

TAKING OVER FROM MUMIn 2003 I had just reached my 25th blood donation and was looking forward to making many more. Then I had the devastating news that Ihad breast cancer. One of the most upsetting consequences of this is thatI’m now unable to give blood. I mentioned this to my two children, Craig

and Ruth. Since then, the most wonderfulthing has happened – they have bothbecome regular donors.

How lucky I am to have such wonderful children and so,from one donor, have evolved two. I feel so grateful to them forbringing me out of the feeling of despair to one of satisfactionthat they are now helping unknown numbers of people.MAHALA TITTERTON, ASHBOURNE

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: We are always sorry to hear when a donor has to retire, but how nice thatyou have helped us gain not one, but two new donors. A heartfelt thank you for your muchvalued help over the years, and our best wishes for the future.

Mahala with daughter Ruth

HHHHHHHHHHHHSTAR LETTERHHHHHHHHHHHH

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Smaller’s better!I prefer your new, smaller-formatmagazine - it's much easier toread! Being a supporter of"reduce, reuse, recycle" I stillapprove of the non-glossy format too – it means minimalpaper use to start with, and thepaper is easier to recycle.MARTINE SAUNDERS, BY EMAIL

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Thank youfor your feedback. The newdesign and content were aresult of what our readers told

us they wanted.Please do con-tinue to tell us what you think;after all, it is your magazine.

Bone marrow registerWhat is the difference betweenthe British Bone MarrowRegistry, and the Anthony Nolanregister, or are they combinednow? Many years ago, I signedup with Anthony Nolan, had thenecessary blood test, and as faras I know was placed on theirregister. Does this mean that Iam also on the British BoneMarrow Registry? If not, thenwhy are there two registers?Please explain.TONY ROTHE, BY EMAIL

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: The two registers are not combine.TheBritish Bone Marrow Registry(BBMR) is a part of the NationalBlood Service and enrols bone

marrow donors who arealready blood donors. TheAnthony Nolan Trust is a sepa-rate register run by a charity.To enrol onto this register youdo not need to be a blooddonor. For historic reasonsthere are several registers inthe country.Whenever there isa search made for a suitabledonor for a patient, the searchis done through all of them,and if needed internationallyas well. Therefore you onlyneed to be registered on one.

How can we help?I’ve just made my last donation,my 85th, as I will shortly clockup my 70th birthday.

It seems a shame that I cannotcontinue as I am healthy andactive but I accept that rules arerules. Is there any other way in

A STAR LETTER ischosen for every issue.The winner will beinvited to a behind-the-scenes tour of a BloodCentre. He or she willdon a white coat andsee what happens to adonation of blood.

Tom’s good deedsActor Tom Lister, 27, may playEmmerdale bad boy Carl King, but he’sbeen setting a good example as a blooddonor since the tender age of 18.“I give blood because my mum and dadhave always done it; in fact it’s reallywell supported by the wholecommunity in the village in theYorkshire Dales where I grew up,” hesays. “The first time I donated was a bitbizarre because I didn’t know what toexpect, but actually the fingerprick testwas probably the worst part! Apartfrom that I felt right as rain, and it wasgreat to know I’d helped somebodysomewhere. It can be a bit difficult toget to the sessions because of filming,but I’ve always got my mum remindingme to get down there!” l

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OVER TO YOU

IS IT TRUE THAT...

which I could help?GRAHAM WILKINSON BY EMAIL

I tried for years to donate myblood, but only succeeded in actually delivering about twodonations - my haemoglobin levelwas often too low. Now, becauseof the vCJD precautions, I’m ineligible to donate because I’vereceived blood transfusions myselfin the period since 1980. So nowI’ve admitted defeat. What I wantto know is, Can I do anything togive something back?CHRISTINA FREEMAN, BIDFORD-ON-AVON

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: We’re reallysorry when people can nolonger give blood, but thereare other ways to help.You can

do anything from putting upposters to asking people inthe street to donate.Every area has differentrequirements for volunteers;to find out more visit the ‘Howto Help’ section of our websitewww.blood.co.uk or call thehelpline on 0845 7 711 711.

Cost of The DonorYou say that the price of producing, printing and postingeach copy of the magazine isless than the cost of a first classstamp. How is this possible? MRS S. BUTCHER, BY EMAIL

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: We are able tokeep our costs right down bybeing extremely thrifty! For

example,we write all the articlesourselves, and make use of ourarchive of photographs to illustrate the magazine. Wedeliberately chose to print onlow-grade paper to save money(and help with recycling), andthe magazine is designed andproduced by a small designteam. Also, we can negotiate a cheaper postal rate for distributing the magazinebecause we mail so many copies.In fact, a copy of The Donor isactually cheaper to send toyou than your regular invita-tion letter, as those letters arespecific to individual donorsin small areas, whereas TheDonor is produced in bulk. l

QHow do flu and fluvaccinations affect giving

blood?

AIf you catch flu then you mustleave it at least seven days from

when you took your last antibiotic; ifyou have had diarrhoea then youneed to wait 14 days.Either way,when you attend you must havebeen well for over a fortnight.If you’ve had a vaccination to preventflu,you may donate as normal as longas you are fit and fully recovered.There are several steps we take to try to prevent the spread of a viruslike flu.When you come to give blood we always ask if you havebeen in contact with anyone who has an infection.We also ask you totell us if you are ill shortly afteryou’ve given a donation so that wecan stop your blood being given to a

We reply to some of your questions about donating

patient. When flu starts to spread,donations drop.That’s why it is soimportant to give blood especiallyduring winter.

QI would like to give bloodas often as possible but

my travelling to malarialregions prevents this. In themeantime I still receiveregular reminders forsessions. If I tell you I’vebeen to an affected area,could you stop thesereminders? A few of myfriends have been wonderingthe same thing – it seems awaste of resources.

AIf you call our helpline on 08457 711 711 and let us know

when you are travelling and whenyou’ll return from a malarial riskarea,we will amend your record and

not send an invitation to donate untilsix months after your return.

QI was invited to donate inJuly, 12 weeks to the day

after my last donation.Ithought that it was too soon,that the interval should be 16weeks.But because I am Opositive and the letterstressed how important myblood was, I went along.

AWe do aim to invite donorsabout every 16-17 weeks,to

achieve an overall donation frequencyof three times a year.Sometimes wehave to bring a session forward due tofactors such as the venue’savailability. If we do bring a sessionforward we try to make the interval tothe next one longer,perhaps 20weeks.This is to ensure your ironlevels stay at a healthy level.l

according to Ann Green, whoheads up the dedicated eight-person BBMR team.

“Each day is different," saysAnn, “we never know what may happen. There are often


Finding theperfect match

Over the past three years the British BoneMarrow Registry has been one the fastest-growing registries of its kind in the world.Every day staff search through donor detailsto see if a life-saving tissue match with apatient can be made.We go behind the scenes

BEHIND THE SCENES

When a seriously-illpatient needs abone marrow or

stem cell transplant, it’s to theBritish Bone Marrow Registry(BBMR) that a transplant teamwill often turn for help.

Housed in an anonymous 60soffice block in the grounds ofSouthmead Hospital in Bristol,the BBMR holds the records(which make up the register) ofover 250,000 potential bonemarrow donors and over 7,000banked cord blood units; these

records may represent the bestchance a patient has of beatingserious blood diseases likeleukaemia and aplastic anaemia.

Running the bone marrowdonor programme takes team work and commitment,

From the left:Jo Stopps, David Winstone, Peter Heard, Torkwase Babatunji, Christine Studley,Rachel Worner, Ann Green and John Ord

24THE DONOR WINTER 2005 25WINTER 2005 THE DONOR

challenges for the team. Ifthere's a problem with adonation we need to solve itquickly to make sure thepatient's vital treatment cango ahead. It can be anythingfrom the stem cells beingheld up in customs, if theproduct is being transportedabroad, to changes in thedates of the transplant atthe last minute.

“We are providing moreand more matches, thanksto the growing number ofdonors joining the registerand also to the huge varietyof tissue types of thedonors on the register.”

High standards The BBMR register is constantlyupdated as new donors sign up.Once a new donor’s bloodsample has been analysed fortissue type the details are sent tothe BBMR team who enter themonto the database. Cord blood

donations are also tissue typedand then registered onto thedatabase in the same way.

All these donor records arealso added to the bone marrowdonor worldwide database,which contains over 10 milliondonors and provides informationto all transplant centresanywhere in the world looking

for donors for their patients. The BBMR team works

constantly to raise standards andimprove its service. A new unifieddatabase is on the way, whichwill make the transfer of donordetails even faster.

Also, Peter Heard, BBMR’sQuality Manager, is steering theBBMR towards obtaining WorldBone Marrow Donor Associationrecognition. He’s honed a set ofquality-control procedures toensure that the standards ofexcellence are maintained acrossall activities, from donorrecruitment to final donation.

Finding a matchEvery day the BBMR receivesrequests to find suitable donorsfor patients. The calls may comefrom a transplant centreanywhere in the UK or overseas.Using the patient data – theirdetailed tissue type, sex, wherethey live and their diagnosis - theservice co-ordinators begin the

search. About 15 searches aremade each day.

When a potential match isfound, the donors are contactedby letter, asking them to get intouch. It’s obviously important tobe able to make contact quickly,and because all BBMR donors arealso blood donors their contactdetails are usually up-to-date.

At this stage, there’s about aone in ten chance that a potentialdonor will be actually selected fora particular patient. The letterasks the donor to provide a newblood sample for more extensivetissue typing.

Using these results and all theother details of the potentialdonors, the best matched donorwill be selected. “It’s always agreat feeling of satisfaction whenwe find a donor for a patient,”says Ann.

The team then contacts one ofits three local administrationcentres to arrange the nextstages with the donor. First comecounselling and medical checks,then, if everything isWhat is bone marrow?What is bone marrow?

Bone marrow, like blood, saves lives. Bone marrow is the soft, jelly-like tissue found in the hollow centres of certain bones. It’s the homeof stem cells, which are the building blocks of blood. Healthy bonemarrow produces blood cells including red blood cells, platelets andwhite cells. Leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and other diseases of theblood mean a patient’s bone marrow is not functioning properly andthe patient may need a stem cell transplant.A matched donor is sometimes found from within the patient’s

family, but only 30 per cent of donors are found this way. The BBMRand other registries offer the chance of finding a suitable unrelateddonor. Ethnic minority communities account for only three per cent ofbone marrow donors on the BBMR register, making the likelihood of aprecise match much lower. However, 40 per cent of cord blood unitscome from ethnic minority donors.

Ethnic blood donors arepretty rare, and ethnic bonemarrow donors are rarerstill. But Pravin Patel, 47,a keen amateurphotographer, can tickboth boxes. As a regularblood donor for 28 years,Pravin joined the BBMRregister because heknew how important itwas to have ethnicminority donorsrepresented on theregister. In April, hewas identified as apotential match fora seriously-ill Asian child. Hedidn’t hesitate. Instead of donating bone marrow, hewas able to give stem cells via a cell separator machine, which simplyremoved the stem cells from his blood before returning it back to him.“It wasn’t invasive at all and I felt extremely good about donating mystem cells because I knew the patient’s life was at risk,” says Pravin.

fine, the donation is arranged.The patient’s transplant centre

will already have suggesteddates for the transplantand the donation must betimed to fit in with thepatient’s treatment.

With the donor nowfinally matched, the teamfind out the quantity ofstem cell product (eithermarrow or peripheralblood stem cells) that willbe needed. Also, whereand when the transplantwill take place and howto transport the bonemarrow to the patient.Nationally, in Britain a

special courier is used, but in thecase of an international patientthe overseas transplant centrewill send someone to personallyaccompany the donation.

Usually neither donor norpatient ever discovers the identityof the other. But every donorknows he or she is performing agenerous, life-saving act.

After the transplant, the localBBMR administrator makes surethe donor feels fit and well withseven, 14 and 30 day follow-upvisits. There’s very rarely aproblem. “We had two membersof staff here who donated bonemarrow, and they wereabsolutely fine,” says Ann. l

Did you know …

l The BBMR is part of the

National Blood Service

l It was set up in 1987, and

currently holds the details of

258,102 UK bone marrow donors

and 7,346 cord blood units

l The BBMR now is the fifth

largest register of its kind in the

world today

l Since 2002, 120,000 potential

donors have been added to the

register, almost doubling its size

Family valuesFamily valuesAnn checkingresults

The cornea is the transparent tissue at the frontof the eye which allows light through to the lens.It differs from organs offered for transplantationbecause there is no upper age limit for donors, itcan be donated up to 24 hours after death, storedbefore use and usually be transplanted withouthaving to match blood groups.

During the transplant, the surgeon cuts awaythe affected cornea and then carefully trims thedonated cornea to fit before stitching it in place.

Corneal graftsCorneal grafts


three months a suitable donorcornea became available.Waiting outside the theatre I

burst into tears. I didn’t knowwhat my life would be likeafterwards, but I felt as if this wasmy final hope.”

Waking upThe operation went ahead.“When I woke up I wasn’t evensure where I was,” remembers

but I knew it wasn’t fair on me,the patients or my colleagues.”

Final hopeBy 2001, Trish’s intolerance tocontact lenses had worsened.She was referred to a consultantophthalmologist, and waspleased to find she would betreated by Andrew Morrell, withwhom she had often worked intheatre. He told her that sheneeded a corneal graft, in otherwords to have a new corneagrafted onto her left eye.

The cornea would be providedfrom a donor whose family hadgiven permission for this tissue tobe donated after his or her death.

“I was very, very scared,” saysTrish. “Even though I had caredfor people with similarconditions, experiencing it as apatient was so different. After

“Waiting outside thetheatre I burst intotears.I didn’t knowwhat my life wouldbe like afterwards,but I felt as if thiswas my final hope”

some people’s vision onlydeteriorates slightly and can becorrected with prescriptionglasses or contact lenses.

But more severe cases aremuch more difficult to treat, asTrish found out.

FrustratingInitially Trish was prescribedcontact lenses and these workedwell for a year, but then theystarted to irritate her eyes. Workbecame increasingly difficult. ”I can remember leaning on theshoulder of one of my colleagues,crying, and saying, ’I can’t copeanymore. I can’t see,’ says Trish.“It was frustrating for me. I wastrying to overcome my difficulty,

Trish Hylton was forced to abandon her job as an operating theatre nurse when a rare eye condition

threatened her sight. Now, thanks to a corneal transplant, she’s seeing clearly again

TISSUE TRANSPLANT

The first sign of Trish’seye problem was in1996 when she was at

college studying to become astaff nurse. “I couldn’t see fromthe back of the classroom so Iwent to the opticians for someglasses. I was working in anoperating theatre, using delicate micro-instruments, andit began to affect my ability to do the job,” says Trish.

By 1999 her sight haddeteriorated so much that she

decided to move out of theatreand work on a hospital wardwhere the problems with hereyesight wouldn’t affect her work.

But her vision grew worse anda worried Trish returned to theopticians, who referred her to St.James’ hospital in Leeds whereshe worked.

There she was diagnosed withKeratoconus, a rare condition ofthe eye which causes the corneato become progressively moremisshapen and distort the vision.It’s completely different fromshort sight, which is caused bythe shape of the whole eye andcan be easily corrected withprescription lenses.

Keratoconus varies in severity:


Trish.” Yet the day after thedressing came off I could seeagain and could do things likewalking down the stairs withoutthinking I was going to fall.”

In 2003, Trish had areplacement cornea grafted toher right eye. “The followingweek I could see more than halfway down the optician’s chartand I can now read the smallestline at the bottom, which givesme a real buzz!”

Trish is now back on the wardwhere she can offer specialreassurance to patientsundergoing the same operation.

“I’m just so grateful to theperson that gave me back, notonly my sight, but my life,” saysTrish.” Sharing my experienceswith other people who are aboutto have corneal grafts is my wayof giving something back.” l

The world’s first corneal transplant was performedone hundred years ago by a Dr Eduard Zirm at a hospitalin Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic).The corneafrom an 11-year-old boy was transplanted into the eyeof a labourer who had been blinded by chemicals. Thepatient regained and retained his eyesight.

Last year 2,375 patients in the UK had theirsight restored by a corneal transplant. Many morecould be given the opportunity to see again, ifthere were more donors.To register on the NHS Organ Donor Register goto www.uktransplant.org.uk Trish with Andrew Morrell

So thankful for my sightSo thankful for my sight

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patient and actuallyperform theinvestigations yourself,seeing the answerunfold in front of you.

It is a good balancebetween clinical care and

medical science.

QWhat does a consultanthaematologist actually do?

AWe are doctors who specialisein blood. We diagnose and

treat disorders such as leukaemia,and also support other doctors intreating patients for otherconditions which involvemonitoring the blood. We not only see patients but weare actively involved in running theinvestigation laboratories andblood banks of hospitals. Most haematologists specialise in aparticular area – my speciality istreating cancers of the bonemarrow, and stem cell transplants.

QWhat’s a typical day for you?

AThere’s really no such thing!However, most days I start

with a daily review of my patients,examining them andchecking their medication. Ioften have a clinic treatingpatients for myeloma, acancer of the bone marrow,or following up mytransplant patients. I alsospend a lot of time workingwith my research team onimmunology andtransplants. I’m in constanttouch with Trisha, my PA,who keeps me organised!

QHow does your worktie in with the NBS?

ABlood and stem cells are keyto everything I do, so it’s fair to

say I work extremely closely withcolleagues in the National BloodService. They have a whole rangeof services, ranging from simplethings like providing blood andplatelets for patients undergoingtreatment, to providing stem cellsfrom donors for my patients.

QWhat are the greatestchallenges in your job?

AMy main challenge at themoment is getting the

Yorkshire transplant programmeaccredited to meet internationallyrecognised standards ofexcellence. In the future, I want todevelop research programmes inboth transplantation and myelomato improve patient care.

QWhat’s the most rewardingpart of your job?

AI get a real buzz from treatingpatients. I see my stem cell

transplant patients so often I get to

know them really well, and they allcall me by my first name. Myfavourite day is when they come infor their check-up 100 days aftertheir transplant. Although there’sstill a long way for them to go, it’sthe first day when I can look at apatient and think ‘have I done agood job?’

QHave you had anyparticularly memorable

patients?

AIt’s always very hard when Ilose a patient, and I always

remember them. On the otherhand, some of my patients whohave recovered still keep in touch,and it’s great hearing how they aregetting on. I recently received aninvitation to the wedding of apatient who emigrated to NewZealand, and that was really lovely.

QAre you a regular blooddonor yourself?

AI am, and I have quite a rareblood type. I’m also on the

British Bone Marrow Registry.

QHave any of your familyand friends ever been

helped by blood?

AMy grandfather died ofmyeloma and needed a lot of

transfusions.

QAfter a long day, how doyou relax?

AMy wife would say I don’trelax because I often work

long into the night! I enjoy theoccasional bout of fencing, andlike all good Scotsmen play a bit ofgolf, although I’m not very good. Ilove spending time with my twodaughters, and at the weekendsI’m taxiing them around todancing, swimming and horseriding lessons. l

“It is one of the few areasin medicine where you cansee a patient and actuallyperform the investigations

yourself,seeing theanswer unfold in front

of you”

28 THE DONOR WINTER 2005 29WINTER 2005 THE DONOR

Dr Gordon Cook always knew he wanted to workin the blood business. Now consultant

haematologist at St James’ University Hospital in Leeds, he’s still enjoying researching and

treating all kinds of blood disorders

MEET THE EXPERT

A lifelong fascinationwith bloodA lifelong fascinationwith blood

QDid you always want to be a doctor?

AWhen I was 13 a family friendworked as a blood bank

manager. I was totally fascinatedby every aspect of blood-basedlaboratories so he suggested I goto medical school and intohaematology. And although I didchange my mind several times inmedical school about what Iwanted to specialise in, I ended upcoming back to haematology.

QWhere did you train inmedicine?

AI did my initial training at theUniversity of Glasgow

Medical School from 1983 - 1988.

QSo where was your firstjob and what was it?

AOnce I was fully qualified Iwent to Glasgow Royal

Infirmary, working on internalmedicine and general surgerybefore going on to specialise in

Dr Gordon Cook:a life-longinterest in blood andmedicine has led him intohaematology

internal medicine. Three years later I started work as bonemarrow transplant (BMT) fellow,co-ordinating transplants andlooking after all aspects of thefollow-up care for patients. I wenton to do more research on thebody’s immune system(immunology) and BMT, andbecame a consultant/seniorlecturer before moving over toLeeds to head up the BMTprogramme there.

QWhat led you to specialisein haematology?

ABlood always fascinated me,and everything I’ve

experienced throughout my careerhas fuelled my desire to learnmore. It is one of the few areas inmedicine where you can see a

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THE DONOR WINTER 200530

Don’t forget to tellus if you’re takingl Blood pressure tabletsl Aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugsl Painkillersl Antibiotics

We don’t need toknow if you’retaking l Contraceptive pilll HRTl Natural remedies such as St.John’s Wort and Milk Thistlel Antihistamine medication– provided you feel well onthe dayl Nicotine patches or gum –provided you are notexperiencing side effects

ASK THE DOCTOR

QWhich medicines might affect my ability

to donate?There are so many classes ofmedication it is hard togeneralise. In most cases themedication itself does notmatter, but the underlyingcondition for which it is beingtaken may do. HRT and thecontraceptive pill and mostnatural herbal remedies boughtover the counter, includingChinese ones, do not affectblood donation.However, it is vital that youinform staff at your session ofany medication you are takingand the reason why. We need to know this so we can adviseyou on whether it is safe for you to donate.

QI am taking tablets tocontrol my blood

pressure. Do these affect my ability to donate? It depends on the medicationitself. If you have mildly raisedblood pressure and are onlytaking diuretics (water tablets),beta blockers or a combinationof the two and no othermedication, you should be ableto donate as long as your bloodpressure is under control. Butyou cannot donate blood if youare taking any other medication,

for example, Ace inhibitors orsimilar.

QWhat about antidepres-sants? Do they affect

donation? If you are taking anti-depressantsfor mild depression only and notfor any other psychiatric problemthen you may donate, providedyou are feeling well on the day.

QIf I can’t donate due tothe medications I'm

taking, is this for my ownprotection, or for the person receiving my blood?It depends on the medication,but most of the time it is for yourown safety, (although see thequestion below on aspirin). It could be unsafe, for example,if you have high blood pressureand are taking medication for itother than diuretics and/or beta-blockers. Normally, afterdonating blood your bloodvessels constrict and your heartrate increases. These normalresponses are stopped by themedication, making you morelikely to faint.

QWhy is it important to know if I’m

taking aspirin or an anti-inflammatory? You must tell us if you are takinganti-inflammatory drugs or anymedication containing aspirin,because these stop the plateletsfrom doing what they are meantto do, which is helping blood toclot. You may still donate, but wewill only be able to use your redcells and not your platelets,

which means we’ll need to selecta different donation bag.

QWhat should I do if I'm unsure about the

medication I am taking?To check any medications youare taking, call our nationalhelpline on 0845 7 711 711 andspeak to a doctor between thehours of 9am and 5pm Mondaysto Fridays. Or, you could bringalong any medications to yournext session to show staff.Please remember that while wecan advise you over the phone,the final decision on whetheryou can donate will rest with thestaff at the session. l

Our doctor, AjaiSingh, answersquestions aboutcommonmedicines and howthey affect blooddonation

ACROSS1 Brown chewy

sweet (7)7 Capital of Canada (6)8 Type of bean (6)9 Occupant of

10 Downing Street (5,8)

10 Railway belowstreets (11)

13 Charitable Christianorganisation (9,4)

17 Club used asweapon (6)

18 Autumn fallers? (6)19 Give support to (7)

DOWN1 Demanded as a

right (7)2 Domain of king or

queen (5)3 Sailor (7)4 Type of golf

course (5)5 Shining celebrity (4)6 Epic by Virgil (6)10 Planet seventh

from the Sun (6)

Complete the crossword. The initial letters of the Across answers spell out a wordassociated with blood. Send the word on a postcard together with your name,address and daytime phone number to Crossword Competition, The Donor, NBS,14 Estuary Banks, Speke, Liverpool, L24 8RB. You could win a new ‘Amazing’ NBSsports umbrella. Answers and the winner will be in the next issue of The Donor. All entries must be received by January 31st 2006.

11 Flustered (7)12 Ignorant (7)14 Indistinct (5)15 Person who leers (5)16 Encounter (4)

CROSSWORD

LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTION

WE HAVE A WINNER!Congratulations to Joanna Horner from Kingston,Surrey, who correctly answered last issue’s crossword.The correct answer was PLEASE GIVE BLOOD.


32 THE DONOR SPRING 2004

NBS INFORMATIONIf you have a general enquiry or need any information about giving blood, just call the 24 hour Donor Helpline on

0845 7 711 711 and staff willanswer your queries on:

• Whether you are able to give blood• Where you can give blood locally• Your donor session details• Becoming a bone marrow donor• How to become a platelet donor• Medical aspects of giving blood• How travelling abroad might affect your

giving blood• Any other general donor mattersRemember, you can call the Helpline to tell us ifyou have moved house or changed employers –we don't want to lose you!

DON’T FORGET information is also available onour website www.blood.co.ukBBC2 Ceefax page 465 will give you details ofblood donor sessions in your TV region over thenext two days.

We always need new donors. So please, if you arenot a donor, fill out the coupon below, place it inan envelope and send it to National Blood Service,FREEPOST, 75 Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 7YB,or call 0845 7 711 711 now to enrol as a donor.

SURNAME

Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss

FIRST NAME

DATE OF BIRTH / /

ADDRESS

POSTCODE

DAYTIME PHONE No

To give blood you need to be in good health,aged 17 to 60 and weigh over 7st 12lbs/50kg.Please send this coupon to the address above. MO6I would like to join the NHS Blood Donor Register as someone whomay be contacted and would be prepared to donate blood.I understand that the National Blood Service (NBS) or its partnersmay phone, write or otherwise contact me with details of localdonor sessions. I agree to the NBS holding my personal details on their donor database and processing this information as necessary for the proper administration of the NBS.32 THE DONOR WINTER 2005

Blood stocks always run low at ChristmasPlease give blood this festive season

GIVE THE GIFTOF LIFE

The Donor - Winter 2005

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Transcript of The Donor - Winter 2005