Everyday Heroes Quarterly E-Newsletter. November 2012

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1 Page 1 of 7 November 2012 This Thanksgiving, Blood Centers of the Pacific is thankful to you for saving lives through blood donation. Happy Thanksgiving, Blood Hero! Your generosity and compassion allow members of our community to celebrate this holiday with their loved ones! For that we say "Thank you." Give Life, Save Life African-American poet Maya Angelou said "if you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded" in life. The biggest challenge for a father, and a family, is to display this altruism when suddenly faced with unbearable personal tragedy. And that's what Keith Crawford and his family were faced with earlier this year. Yet, in the midst of their family's private heartbreak, they exhibited care and compassion for others in the community. For father and family man Keith Crawford, it all started with a fateful phone call he received on April 1st. He was told that Brittany, his 20- year-old daughter and eldest of three kids, had been in a car accident. She and four other young adults, including her sister Imani, were involved in a freak accident on their way home from an evening of bowling. The tire came off the car Brittany was driving, which caused her car to veer off the road and flip over. The situation was critical. Although Imani and the other three passengers were able to walk away from the accident with minor injuries, Brittany was not so fortunate. The force of the accident left her with a fractured skull, a lacerated heart and crushed lungs. Upon arrival at the hospital, Brittany was declared brain dead by the medical staff. With this news heavy on their hearts, Keith and his wife Lenore made the only decision that their love for Brittany and faith in God would allow them to make. Unsolicited and without hesitation, the couple asked if they could donate their daughter's organs to other people in need. This

2 Page 2 of 7 way, even in death, Brittany would continue to help people just as she did during her short life. Two days later on April 3rd, Keith's birthday, with assistance from the California Transplant Donor Network, Brittany "gave the gift of life." When Keith and his family were told that Brittany's pancreas, kidneys, liver and tendons would live on in others, they knew they made the right decision. In early May, the family received a letter from an electrician in Las Vegas. This man was the recipient of Brittany's kidneys. In his letter to the Crawford family, the recipient detailed the health challenges he had due to his own failing kidneys. Prior to the transplant, he had a poor quality of life. After years of dialysis, he was now living a normal life thanks to the gift that the Crawfords shared with him and his family. He would forever be grateful to them for remembering the needs of others, even in their time of pain. The Crawford family asked the question, "If Brittany could save four lives through organ donation, how many more lives could she touch if they started a foundation in her name?" A foundation that specifically reached out to the African-American community, educating members about the importance of donating blood and signing up for the organ donation registry might allow them to help even more people. From there "The Brittany Crawford Foundation: Give Life, Save Life" (GLSL) was born. Officially launched on September 15th, on what would have been Brittany's 21st birthday, GLSL became a non-profit organization that focuses on people of color. The goal will be to educate and bring awareness to the importance of organ and blood donation. "We're creating a database of blood type and organ transplant information of recipients and donors to help families find a matching donor for their loved ones in need," said Keith. Keith's sister Debra battled lupus and went through dialysis for years as she waited for a kidney transplant. In her case, a match was not found before she succumbed to the disease in As there are not enough organ donors of color to meet the needs of patients, minorities in our community who are in need of transplants suffer unnecessarily. Additionally, Keith and the Crawford family are educating the community about the blood needs of transplant patients, which can be

3 Page 3 of 7 substantial. A liver transplant patient, for example, may need pints of various blood components during surgery. These lifesaving surgeries cannot be performed without a ready and available blood supply. "This is where we need the community's help," said Keith. GLSL will collaborate with other donor networks on a local, state and national level. The foundation will also provide workshops for colleges, businesses and other groups, to educate their members about the organ registry and the need for blood donors from communities of color. GLSL will, in the future, give scholarships to medical school students in honor of Brittany. The organization will also hold an essay contest for high school students in the near future. Students will be asked to describe why it's important to donate blood and register for organ donation. Through GLSL, the Crawford family (pictured l-r before the accident: Zeke, Brittany, Imani, Lenore and Keith) is able to help others and heal themselves at the same time. It does provide the family a sense of relief to know that Brittany did not die in vain. Her spirit and smile will live on in the body of an electrician and the other three people whose lives were saved by the compassionate decision her family made in the midst of their grief. Remember, Give Life, Save Life...donate blood. NAACP Statewide Convention: "25 Years of Moving California Forward" This year the California/Hawaii State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was held in San Mateo at the Marriott Hotel. Hundreds of NAACP members turned out for the four-day conference, October Noted guests in attendance included California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., and Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

4 Page 4 of 7 Through keynote speakers and workshops headed by experts, the conference addressed topics of interest to the African-American community. Important issues discussed included: get out the vote campaigns and voter registration in a presidential election year; making our communities safer by dealing with black-on-black crime and police brutality; and home mortgage assistance to keep working families in their homes. Of course health issues were also discussed at the conference, including discussions on obesity and diabetes. For the first time, the conference looked at the topic of sickle cell disease and the blood needs of chronically-transfused African- Americans in our community. It was spearheaded by BCP's Diversity Blood Donor Program Specialist, Fred McFadden. Wanda Williams, Chair of the Sickle Cell Community Advisory Council of Northern California (SCCAC) and a sickle cell patient, shared her story with conference attendees in a speech at the Friday morning Health Breakfast. Many who attended were moved by her story of receiving transfusions every month for more than a year after a blood clot was found on her lung. Wanda went on to share with conference attendees how regular transfusions are a reliable treatment for sickle cell patients. Pictured from left to right: BCP Donor Recruiter Shanna Grier, SCCAC Board Member Jameelah Hodge, Wanda Williams, California/Hawaii NAACP President Alice Huffman, SCCAC Board Member Julie Dunbar, Fred McFadden. Fred also shared more details about the blood needs of our African- American community in two workshops. Attendees were able to get more information about successfully hosting a blood drive, the donation process, and the great need for African-American donors. As Mrs. Pope from the Monterey, California NAACP Chapter said, "All chapters should host at least one blood drive per year." Fred

5 Page 5 of 7 reminded these leaders in the African-American community about the importance of giving others in their community the opportunity and information needed to save lives. He asked them to partner with their local blood banks to bring lifesaving blood to kids and adults living with sickle cell and other diseases. If your place of worship, fraternity/sorority, business, club, or NAACP Chapter would like to host a blood drive, please call Fred at (415) BCP Hosts North Bay Black Chamber of Commerce's November Mixer On Tuesday, November 13th, BCP will host the NBBCC's monthly meeting. The event will run from 5:30-7:30pm at the Santa Rosa Center. The NBBCC's November theme is "giving back" to the community. All mixer attendees who donate blood at the Santa Rosa Center on this day, prior to the meeting, will receive a $5 Subway gift card and an "Our Blood Saves Lives" T-shirt. The center will be open from noon until 7pm. If you are able to donate blood, please arrive by 4pm. That way, you can complete your donation prior to the meeting. To schedule an appointment to donate at this site, please click here. Contact Fred McFadden, Blood Donor Diversity Program Specialist, at (415) with questions. The NBBCC, whose mission is to provide support to enhance economic growth and business development of black businesses, is an organization comprised of local business owners, potential business owners, professionals and business partners and alliances who are dedicated to promoting, supporting and enhancing all businesses, in particular Black owned businesses. This is accomplished through various networking venues and forming partnerships and alliances with business entities offering business contracts and various business opportunities.

6 Page 6 of 7 For more information, contact Letitia Hanke-Ryzhkov, NBBCC President, at or at [email protected]. Saving Lives at a Blood Drive Near You! Save lives by donating blood at one of these community-sponsored blood drives or at any of our center locations. 1) Abundant Life Christian Fellowship 2440 Leghorn Street, Mountain View, CA Sunday, November 11 10am to 2:30pm Location: Bloodmobile in front of Church For Appointments Click HERE 2) Marin City Interfaith Blood Drive Marguerita C. Johnson Senior Center 630 Drake Avenue, Marin City, CA Saturday, November 17 10:30am - 3:00pm For Appointments Click HERE 3) Oakland Community Drive Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church - Bloodmobile in Church parking lot 1909 Market St (between 19th St & 20th St), Oakland, CA Monday, November 26 2:00pm - 7:00pm For Appointments Click HERE Donate Blood. Save Lives GIVE

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