Heidi Frye “grew up waiting for the day she could donate blood”.  Heidi says she enjoyed visiting the blood bank as a child when her parents donated.  Her family knew employee Carolyn Schaefer, and Heidi’s godmother, Vivian Kuster, also worked at Houchin.  When she was finally old enough to donate at 17, her excitement was dashed when her weight was too low to give with her peers at Stockdale High. A year and a half later, Heidi was struck with neuroblastoma, a brain tumor.  After surgery and treatment for the disease, she was finally able to give blood 5 years after she was declared in remission, and has proudly made our two gallon club. Her most recent donation was at the Lutheran Church of Prayer mobile organized by church volunteer Carolyn Schaefer, her childhood friend.

Always interested in helping others, Heidi was the community service leader for 4-H and got involved with Relay for Life as one of the projects when she was 14.  Still involved with Relay, Heidi’s will be active with the Lutheran Church of Prayer team.  Heidi is a WIC Counselor with Clinica Sierra Vista, graduating from Bakersfield College and then Fresno State with a degree in nutrition after her neuroblastoma diagnosis.  She reports it was hard going to school using a walker, particularly because she was constantly asked why she needed it to get around. Heidi proudly wore her 2011 Houchin summer t-shirt on a trip to Philadelphia last year, where the narrow old doorways also proved a challenge for her walker, but she had a great time visiting with an old friend there.

Heidi urges everyone who can give blood to do so.  Given her own struggle to be able to donate, she knows that many people “really can’t give due to low iron, disease or illness. If your loved one or you needed blood, and everyone who could give didn’t, how would you feel about it?” she asks. Fear of needles or a little prick of pain is just an excuse people should get over, according to Heidi. She is sure more people would give if they “had experienced the other end of the spectrum” as she has, and think of others instead of themselves. Heidi’s sunny disposition, positive attitude, and devotion to blood donation is a true inspiration.

Dave Patterson first tried to give blood in the military in 1956 when vacuum bottles were still in use, but was unsuccessful.  Upon his return to civilian life he had no difficulty becoming an every 56 day donor.  Dave is so consistent, that he squeezed 7 donations in during 2011.  He is working on his 19^th gallon, just because it is the “right thing to do for the community”.  Dave says everyone should give blood because “no one is going to miss a pint or two.  It is self satisfying, and not frightening, and may keep somebody alive.” Dave adds he donates “because I can, and will as long as I can.”

Dave is a Bakersfield native, proudly born in Kern General Hospital, now known as Kern Medical Center.  He and his wife, Barbara Jean, have a firefighter son and two grandchildren.

Dave has a very interesting hobby restoring a 1943-44 military weasel, a tractor-like vehicle for all terrain use. It was built by Studebaker for operations in Norway where it was initially presumed the Germans would invade during World War II.  He also volunteers at the Minter Field Air Museum, where he has served on the board of directors.

Cindysue Beck was first in line at the annual Platelet Dinner, not for the buffet, but to share her platelet donation experiences on video to help encourage more people to try automated donation. She is enthusiastic about platelet donation, and encourages others to donate blood or platelets to help meet real needs right here at home.

Cindy is proud to support the local community through blood and platelet donation as evidenced by the 13 gallons of platelets and almost 8 gallons of whole blood she presently has to her credit. Cindy switched to automated donation when the grandfather of one of her grandchildren suffered a heart attack on Super Bowl weekend.  The attack nearly killed him, and he used lots of platelets in his recovery.  She promised to donate platelets if he’d stick around to help her raise the grandkids.

Cindy finds her time in the platelet chair is two hours of “quiet time” to catch up with E-mail and other sit down things.  Such personal time is a real luxury for this busy grandmother of 7 ranging in age from 9 to 3. Cindy is raising two of the grandchildren herself. She often donates with a friend to keep up a friendly competition, and assures any whole blood donors that automated donation is not really that different from what they know. She urges them to just try it; they might like it as much as she does!

Mary Beth Garrison is well known throughout Kern County because of her longstanding involvement in politics, economic development and community beautification.  She is best known in the Tehachapi area where she is General Manager of the Stallion Springs Community Services District.  To Houchin Community Blood Bank she is known as a dedicated blood donor one unit shy of her 4^th gallon, and the volunteer chairperson of the new Stallion Springs mobile drives which started in 2011.  The June drive collected 20 units and the October drive collected 25, for a 25% increase in a small community.

Christina Scrivner, Houchin’s Community Development Account Manager for the Tehachapi area, reports that Mary Beth has been totally supportive of all the blood drives in the Tehachapi area which more than doubled in 2011 to 1188 units over 555 units in 2010.  Mary Beth is a real advocate for blood donation, although not that long ago she was afraid to give because of the needles. The whole idea “kinda freaked” her out, until she had a friend in need with Stage 4 cancer at the City ofHope.  “I thought to myself that if she can go through all the pain and suffering that she’s experiencing, the least I can do is conquer my fear and give blood. It was so easy that I’ve been donating ever since at Houchin.”

In just an instant, everything changed for 21 year old Antone Chicca. He was involved in a roll over accident on a rain soaked freeway leaving a 49ers game in the Bay Area in 2001. He was in a coma for two weeks with head injuries. Doctors gave him only a 33% chance of survival, and he lost 90 pounds. Transfusions helped in his recovery as did faith, family and friends. Antone had been studying agricultural management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, planning to become a 5th generation farmer, and had recently returned from a wonderful semester studying in Italy.

Years of therapy and very hard work followed, including time at Bakersfield’s own Centre for Neuro Skills. Antone’s speech was most affected by the accident, but he persevered to pass the speech class required to graduate from college. He says his mind is still “kind of like a filing cabinet with the files out of order”, but even with these challenges, Antone wants to give blood because he is so happy to be alive, and wants to share that gift with others.

Antone started giving blood as a Bakersfield High School student, and has to manage his medication schedule to continue to give, but he feels that sharing his blood shares the beauty of life. He would someday like a license plate that says “Via Bella”. It can be surrounded by a Houchin Community Blood Bank frame.

Lisa Brown Youngest Female in Houchin Community Blood Bank 10 Gallon Club

On October 27, 2011, Lisa Brown became the youngest female donor ever to enter the Houchin Community Blood Bank 10 Gallon Club.  She missed the overall youngest mark by only a few months!  Her achievement was picked up by both KERO and KGET TV and so she was able to tell thousands of viewers why she gives blood and urge them to do so too. She says “It’s an easy way to help people and takes less than an hour of your time.  It’s a really worthwhile thing to do.”

Long before she was old enough to donate herself, Lisa began coming to the blood bank with her father, Danny, who has donated more than 20 gallons. She credits him with getting her started as a teenager, and she’s been at it ever since.  Lisa is a 5^th grade teacher at Harris Elementary  School and does what she can to let her students know how important it is for people to donate blood.

Lisa is raising a future blood donor, four year old Bailey. Bailey will be able to visit the blood bank soon to see the 10 Gallon Club photographs of her mother and grandfather hanging side by side.

Randy Miller, October Donor of the Month

You would expect the Mayor of Taft, California to be a tremendous booster for his community, but Randy Miller also likes to promote the importance of blood donation.  Randy has more than 7 gallons to his credit, and likes to give “double reds” on the Trima machine at the blood bank in Bakersfield.  He finds the less frequent appointments netting the same units to help others fits his busy schedule.

Randy likes to tell people: “Someway, somehow, somewhere, people you know will need blood.  It just takes a little of your time to see that it is available when needed”. The meaning of this hit home with him personally when his mother recently needed blood to save her life.

Randy retired as a Social Services Supervisor with the Kern County Department of Human Services after 15 years then worked as the Executive Director of the Taft Chamber of Commerce until December 2009. He has served as Mayor of Taft since 2010.  He and his wife of 37 years, Ginny, have two children, Andrew 23, and Melissa 26.  They enjoy RV camping, and Randy recently completed a 500 mile loop of the Central Coast on his Gold Wing motorcycle with a buddy.

The Mayor is justifiably proud that Taft does its part to contribute to Kern County’s blood supply.  Taft Community drives provided 290 units in 2010. We appreciate Randy’s commitment to the Trima program and his ongoing efforts to convince others to save lives through blood donation.

Gary Berthiaume made his blood donation appointment early to honor the 10^th anniversary of September 11th.  He is approaching his 7 gallon mark, giving regularly since he began on September 11, 2001 in response to the national tragedy unfolding.  He recalls his long, long wait that day only to be deferred.  Disappointed but undeterred, he got a doctor’s release and came back the next day.  He realizes “it shouldn’t require a national emergency to become a donor” since the need for blood is ongoing.

September's Donor of the Month Gary Bethiaume climbs Mount Whitney for the seventh time in July 2011

As a universal O-, CMV negative donor, Gary is proud to be able to help anyone in need of blood, including newborn babies. Gary lives in Glennville and is retired after thirty two years teaching history, mostly at the high school level, where he ensured the events of September 11, 2011 were covered in class.  He and his wife have four grown sons, two first responders and two in the ministry. Gary loves hiking, fishing and camping, and has climbed Mount Whitney not just once, but seven times!  Here he is pictured at the summit in July 2011 during his most recent climb.

The complete story of Gary’s September 11, 2001 donation and what it has meant to him is provided below.

Click To View Gary’s Story

Alene Ellison still gets emotional when she recalls her family being evacuated from their homes on an American Indian Reservation near San Diego, not once but twice, because of wild fires. Leaving home in a panic with few possessions, not knowing what the next twenty-four hours would hold, her family found help from strangers at an American Red Cross shelter. Alene knows first hand how important it is for strangers to give to strangers, and that is why she is a dedicated donor, working on her 5th gallon.

Alene moved from “The Res” in third grade and went to Shafter High School. She has worked for the Kern County Department of Human Services for 20 years. She and her husband, Daren, have two canine “girls”, Powder and Pepper. She loves catch and release fishing anywhere. Even though Alene is squeamish about hooks, she is not about needles and urges everyone to try blood donation. “Just do it, just take care of it,” she urges. “If we all come together as a community to donate we will thrive.”