Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Blood transfusion saved freshman’s life

Merica Schreiner, who required a large blood transfusion in fourth grade, is volunteering at this week’s KU blood drive.

By Joe Preiner (Contact)

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Donated blood saved Merica Schreiner’s life.

Schreiner, Frankfort freshman, was in fourth grade when she and her sister went to the hospital to have their tonsils taken out. It is a routine enough procedure, one that many people experience during their childhood.

But shortly after returning home from the hospital, Schreiner began hemorrhaging. She had another surgery but kept bleeding. During the ordeal, she lost four pints of blood, which is equal to a half gallon.

“My mom told me later she asked my doctor if she needed to call the priest,” Schreiner said. “I didn’t realize at the time that it was so serious.”

After three blood transfusions and a slew of tests, doctors finally discovered that Schreiner had a rare blood disease called von Willebrand disease. A missing or flawed protein in the body’s blood system causes the disease, which is similar to hemophilia.

More than eight years later, Schreiner has come full circle. She is volunteering with the KU blood drive this week, which continues through Friday.

“Since I can’t donate blood, and that’s what saved my life, I feel like if I at least help with it, that’s the best I can do,” Schreiner said.

Brandon Volz, Topeka junior, was one of the first people in line to give a pint of blood at the Kansas Union Tuesday morning. He said he had extra time in his day and donating seemed like a good idea.

“I’m not the most active person when it comes to helping people,” Volz said. “Other people need this more than I do, and I have plenty of blood.”

Volz said the nurses and staff helped him feel comfortable during the process, which generally takes about an hour. He said they were accommodating and made him feel welcome. Volz said he appreciated the fact that they didn’t leave him unattended while he was donating.

Schreiner is living proof of the importance of blood donations, but she still struggled with the her diagnosis after her transfusion experience. Doctors told her she had to wear a medical tag noting her condition in case of emergencies.

Doctors also discouraged Schreiner from playing sports. They worried Schreiner could suffer internal bleeding from the contact, which was potentially fatal. After careful consideration, she decided to forego both recommendations.

“I’m from a really small town,” Schreiner said. “If you don’t go out for sports, you really don’t do anything. That was a big thing for me.”

Maintaining that normal life and championing the cause for donating blood remain important to Schreiner. While volunteering at the blood drive, she said she hoped to help the American Red Cross and Community Blood Center make the KU blood drive successful.

Bev Krebs of the American Red Cross said the two companies needed to collect about 6,000 units of blood each week to meet the demands of area hospitals, which included Kansas, Missouri and northern Oklahoma.

Hospitals use donated blood for many purposes, including surgeries and emergency situations such as car accidents. The average amount of blood required in those situations, according to the Community Blood Center’s Web site, is six pints and 50 pints, respectively.

Krebs said that the need for donated blood was constantly increasing, but that supply was very low. One out of every 10 people who enter a hospital needs blood, according to the Red Cross Web site. It also said that in the United States, a person needed a blood transfusion every two seconds.

To meet area hospitals’ needs, 580 blood donors are needed each day, according to the Community Blood Center’s Web site. Each of these donations can help two people.

— Edited by Brenna Hawley

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