The second annual Boots and Badges Blood Drive kicks off February 6-11, 2012 to recognize Burn Awareness Week. San Joaquin Community Hospital, home of the Grossman Burn Center, is our sponsor again this year for the drive which pits Fire and Emergency Medical Services against Law Enforcement in a friendly rivalry to see who can generate the biggest boost to our local blood supply. Blood donations are a big help in treating burn victims.

Last year Fire and EMS won, and were recognized on our perpetual plaque. This year more agencies are involved on both sides of the competition. Participants are:

• Arvin Police Department
• Bakersfield Fire Department
• Bakersfield Police Department
• California Highway Patrol
• Delano Police Department
• Hall Ambulance
• Kern County District Attorney
• Kern County Emergency Medical Services
• Kern County Fire Department
• Kern County Probation
• Kern County Sheriff
• McFarland Police Department
• Shafter Police Department
• State of California Parole & Community Services liision
• Taft Police Department

One lucky winner will win an iPad, courtesy of San Joaquin Community Hospital. There will also be daily drawings for Guns and Hoses Charity Hockey Game tickets and Tony’s Pizza gift cards. The drive will end with a Safety Fair at the blood bank from 10 am – 2 pm, which will be fun for the whole family. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and follow us on Twitter or Facebook to keep abreast of the activities.

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!

George Kimm and Margaret Delfino were recognized for achieving their 10 gallon mark in this vintage photo from the 1970s. Margaret is the only woman in the photo. George is kneeling in the front lower right.

Margaret Delfino and George Kimm have a combined history of more than a century of giving from their hearts to help their families, friends and neighbors.

Delfino, 93, and Kimm, 80, both began donating blood in the 1950s. Both today still are “going strong” as regular Houchin Community Blood Bank donors – Delfino approaching the 27-gallon mark and Kimm contributing more than 32 gallons.

“As long as I can, I will keep giving blood,” said Delfino, during recent interviews. “It’s important to give. It’s the least you can do if you are healthy. It saves people’s lives.”

“Once you get started – donating a gallon and then a couple of gallons – it gets to be kind of a competitive thing. You figure you can make five gallons and then you figure you might as well continue,” said Kimm. “After a while, you don’t even think about it. And then you get to know the people. Houchin is like a family. There’s camaraderie. You get together with other donors to do something that is needed. It’s great. It’s a nice place, with a nice feeling.”

Delfino began donating blood in 1954 to help a neighbor battling a life-threatening illness. Kimm began donating as a student at Cal Poly. Over the years, both eventually became regular donors. They also have encouraged their children, grandchildren and other relatives to follow in their donor footsteps.

“Back when I started, you didn’t donate as often as you can now,” said Delfino, recalling that decades ago donors were required to take three- and four-month breaks between donations. As a result, the Bakersfield woman’s head-spinning record began slowly. Today, healthy people can donate blood every eight weeks.

Delfino’s donations also were interrupted in 2001 when, at the age of 81, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, Delfino resumed donating blood in 2006 when she passed the five-year cancer-free threshold.

Delfino recalls Houchin held a party for her when she returned. At the party, she and seven family members donated blood.

“When I hit 25 gallons, I received a letter from a 21-year-old kid in Michigan, who said he saw a story (about her milestone) and said he was inspired to start donating blood,” she recalled.

Kimm’s march to his donor milestone was slow at the beginning – giving only occasionally as a student and during his service in the Army. But when he returned to Bakersfield in the late 1950s to manage Farmer John Eggs ranches, the doctor who attended to the birth of Kimm’s daughter, Geann, encouraged him to make his donations more regular.

The doctor convinced him the need for blood and donors was increasing as the city grew and medical procedures advanced. Like Delfino, Kimm has witnessed many changes in the services Houchin provides.

Years ago, they didn’t have the automated systems they have now, Kimm recalled, adding the early focus was on collecting “whole blood.” Today, other products are produced, including platelets.

Medical procedures, such as cancer treatments, have advanced since Houchin opened its doors in 1951. Bakersfield has an increasing number of healthcare providers that specialize in these treatments serving many more patients.

While this means an increasing number of people must be encouraged to donate their lifesaving blood, it also means Houchin must remain efficient and innovative in the way it collects and distributes blood products.

(R-L) 32 gallon blood donors Margaret Delfino and George Kimm were honored guests at the recent groundbreaking for Houchin's new facility. They are joined by 100 year-old blood donor Louis Kerker, and blood recipient Krystal C.

Houchin hopes to make our local blood donation and distribution system even more efficient and more capable of responding to local needs by building a consolidated facility in southwest Bakersfield.

In September 2011, ground was broken on a $10 million, 42,000-square-foot complex on Buena Vista Road, south of White Lane. Made possible by a 5-acre gift of land by Bolthouse Properties LLC in its Seven Oaks Business Park, the complex will consolidate laboratory, quality assurance, manufacturing, distribution, information technology, community development, telerecruiting and transportation, allowing Houchin to keep pace with the community’s rapidly expanding need for blood and blood products.

The new facility will also include a full service blood drawing site. Donors can rest assured the present location on Truxtun Avenue will remain open as a blood drawing site, as well.

“The science that is keeping people alive is requiring more and more blood,” noted Kimm, who enthusiastically supports construction of the new complex. “The blood supply has to grow with advancements. Calamity happens. We need blood here to respond.”

Houchin has begun a vigorous fundraising campaign to help finance construction of this vitally important consolidated facility expected to open this fall. Individual and corporate contributions are being encouraged. Opportunities for “naming rights” are available throughout the complex.

For more information on the fundraising campaign, contact Greg Gallion at 661-323-4222. And make sure to keep an eye on our lobby or website for updates on construction of the new facility!

Portions of this article first appeared in the February 2012 issue of Bakersfield Life Magazine.

Buffalo Wild Wings is showing its support of the Bakersfield community by partnering with Houchin Community Blood Bank to encourage blood donation right before Super Bowl Sunday through a Countdown to Touchdown Blood Drive.  From Monday, January 30 to Saturday, February 4, at noon, donors will be entered to win their very own Super Bowl Party featuring a $200 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings.  The noon drawing will give the lucky winner time to figure out what to order from the restaurant’s extensive menu, so they can have “fandemonium” during the Super Bowl game with a fabulous party, or the gift card can be used at anytime for dining in or out with our new partner.

Buffalo Wild Wings is known for its support of blood banks nationwide. Part of the Buffalo Wild Wings mission is to WOW people every day, by practicing good citizenship and helping to make the communities in which they operate better places to live, work and grow. We are pleased to have this new business in our community sponsor the Countdown to Touchdown Blood Drive.

The greatest moment in my life was the moment Aubri was born.  At 37 weeks gestation, Aubri was delivered emergency c-section on Saturday April 17, 2010 at 4:22 AM.  My healthy baby girl weighed 7lbs 6oz and measured in at 21in long.

On Aubri’s 6 month birthday, we noticed something different about her right eye.  Her pupil wasn’t nearly the same size as her left, and the upper eyelid was droopy.  It appeared as though she had gotten bit by something, or had an allergic reaction.  Being the typical new mom, I jumped on the computer to see what the problem could be.  I ran across something called Horner’s Syndrome and the fear immediately set in.  A couple days later, we took Aubri to the doctor and she was referred to a specialist who diagnosed her with Horner’s Syndrome.  Horner’s Syndrome is an effect caused by something interfering with the sympathetic nerve that affects the movement and blood flow to the eye.  The causes can range from birth trauma to a tumor.

After Aubri’s diagnosis, she had an MRI done.  During the MRI, a 1cm x 2cm mass was found at the back of her neck.  This mass was found to be the cause of Aubri’s Horner’s Syndrome.  In less than 2 weeks from Aubri’s MRI, we had a biopsy done at CHLA and she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma.
The mass in Aubri’s neck was a lymph node responding to a small tumor attached to it.  With the sensitivity of the location, the tumor could not be removed.  Biopsies showed malignancies in both the tumor and the lymph node.

Aubri was then admitted at Children’s Hospital and spent 7 days undergoing testing.  Aubri had a bone scan, bone marrow aspiration, CT scan and MIBG scans to determine if the cancer was anywhere else in her body.  All of the scans showed the cancer was isolated and had not spread.

Ultimately, Aubri had a total of four courses of chemotherapy. Thankfully, the follow up scans showed NO SIGN OF CANCER, and the tumor was half it’s original size.  Hooray!!!I immediately started sobbing.  Six months of built up emotions, fear and anxiety streamed down my face.  Three months later, Aubri’s first quarterly MRI showed that the tumor was GONE!!  Since then, her follow-up hearing, echo and eye exams showed no damage from the chemo.  I couldn’t have asked for better news or a better outcome!

Aubri is VERY VERY lucky she was diagnosed at stage 2B.  Most Neuroblastoma patients are diagnosed at later stages and some don’t see their 5th birthday.  The fact we caught Aubri’s Neuroblastoma so early is a huge blessing!  Aubri went the entire six months without catching anything with her compromised immune system, experienced no unplanned hospital stays, and did not need to have her platelets or blood replenished.  Phenomenal!

Support from family and friends had helped us through what was and will be the most difficult trial Aubri and I have ever gone through or will face in our lives.  I utilized social media sites such as Facebook and CaringBridge to keep my family and friends apprised of Aubri’s condition.  Thru these websites I found a tremendous amount of support, prayers and well wishes for Aubri and our family and it made our journey much more uplifting and overall a positive experience.

I’m amazed at how much good came from such a horrible thing!!  During Aubri’s Journey I found peace with her diagnosis by advocating for additional cancer research funding, and holding blood and bone marrow drives to replenish the blood supply used by our local pediatric cancer patients and to help find bone marrow matches to increase survival odds for our community’s patients.  As Aubri’s Mommy, I found these were the things I could do to help her and other similarly affected children. The rest was out of my hands.  Aubri may have beaten her Neuroblastoma but there are other Soldier’s fighting the same battle.  It’s going to take an army to fight this war.

Give n Go Blood Drive

To participate, just donate blood by Saturday, January 28th. We thank radio station Kern Talk AM 1180 for promoting this drive, as well as all our CSUB Athletics Department partners.

On Thursday, January 19^th, an all day blood drive will be held at Houchin Community Blood Bank’s 5901 Truxtun Avenue location.  Family, friends, and community members are invited to join in this celebration of life between the hours of 9:00 am and 8:00 pm.  For those joining Houchin after work, light hors d’ oeurves will be served from 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.  To sign up to participate in this day of celebration, contact Christina Staricka at 661-747-5195.

On Sunday, January 22^nd, Our Lady of Perpetual Help invites the public to join their church parish’s community blood drive from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.  The church is located at124 Columbus Street.  To sign up to participate in this blood drive, contact Rosemarie at 661-322-7200.

On Monday, January 23^rd,Garces Memorial High School will be holding a campus-wide blood drive from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm.  Former Garces graduates and families are invited to attend the blood drive that will be held on the school campus located at 2800 Loma Linda Drive.

For more information or appointments, call Peggy Smith at 661-323-4222.  Walk-ins will be welcome throughout the drive at Houchin’s Truxtun location on Thursday. The Reis family will provide a guest book for those who wish to sign and give their condolences.

Houchin Community Blood Bank and the Volunteer Center of Kern County’s R.S.V.P. Program wishes to bring in more donations and awareness to volunteers, veterans and children in honor of Martin Luther King Day.  The blood drive will kick off on Thursday, January 12, 2012 and run through Saturday, January 14, 2012 at Houchin’s Truxtun location. With January being National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, Houchin and R.S.V.P found it to be the perfect opportunity to celebrate together the wonderful gifts that volunteers are able to provide to our community on a daily basis.  Both Houchin and R.S.V.P., rely solely on volunteers to operate and provide for Kern County and without these volunteers the work from these organizations would be impossible. Also joining the MLK Blood Drive as supporters and sponsors of great gifts, are numerous community partners that understand the significant contributions that volunteers provide to Kern County.  These sponsors include Optimal Hospice Care, Albertsons, Frosting Ink, Legacy Behavioral Services, Atomic Kitten Salon, The Blessing Corner Outreach, Bakersfield National Cemetery, Bakersfield Ice Sports Center, Famous Dave’s, and Lassens Natural Foods and Vitamins. As an added treat, themed gift baskets will be on display in Houchin’s canteen to be raffled at the end of the month to lucky donors!For more information or appointments, call Peggy Smith at 661-323-4222. Walk-ins will be welcome throughout the drive.
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