Crash victim thanks donors whose blood saved his life

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JOHN ROGERS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brandon Levine exchanged handshakes and hugs with nearly two dozen of his blood brothers and sisters, people he had never met but knew had saved his life.

The group's members, ranging in age from 20s to 70s, were among nearly 200 people whose donations to the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center last year kept the Internet executive alive long enough for doctors to put his broken body back together following a motorcycle accident that nearly killed him.

"You guys, what you did was probably one of the most selfless, gracious gifts that you could give to anybody," Levine said Friday, choking up as he stepped to a podium at the university's faculty center to thank those assembled for an annual luncheon honoring blood donors.

"It amazes me," he added, "that a part of you is inside of me and that's why I'm standing here today."

FULL story at link.



Motorcycle crash victim Brandon Levine expresses his deep gratitude to some of the blood donors of the 207 units of blood, plasma and platelets that preserved his life after a devastating motorcycle accident on April 27, 2014, that left him comatose for a month, during an annual luncheon honoring blood donors at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015."It amazes me," he added, "that a part of you is inside of me and that's why I'm standing here today." (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150131/us--life-saving_donors-53540e04a3.html

[mnhtnbb]

1. You have to be crazy to ride a motorcycle in L.A.

One of my graduate school classmates at UCLA (73-75) rode a motorcycle. One day he showed
up to class, literally without color in his face. He'd had a VERY near miss on the 405 coming
to school. He sold the motorcycle. Oh, and he'd been a corpsman in the Navy (Vietnam era) so
he knew what he was facing if he crashed.

[Skittles]

2. I've donated 50 gallons of blood products locally

I wish more people who could donate WOULD

[Jim Lane]

3. Thank you thank you thank you!

I've never been in a crash but I did need a lot of blood when I was in chemo. I'm here to post on DU only because a dozen people I've never met took time out of their days to donate blood.

Healthy adults, if you would like to be someone's anonymous lifesaving stranger, go to this blood bank locator or fire up your search engine and search for "donate blood". You might even get some free orange juice!

[davidpdx]

4. I think it is important to make people aware of the continued importance of blood donation

People get busy and maybe forget, but it saved someone's life. The guy is really lucky to have survived and it's great he can thank those who help save people's lives.

[Brother Buzz]

5. My son is one of those UCLA blood donors

He started giving blood years ago after he saw how a couple of units saved my life. When he shipped off to college, he continued donating. Used to be the damn cookies and juice made him happy, but UCLA really sweetened the deal and spoiled him with theater passes, which is pretty cool for a kid who grew up in a town without a theater.

[AwareOne]

6. Debbie Downer here

a few years ago in central Florida, a scandal erupted centered around the salaries and benefits of the management and staff of the Orlando blood bank. Turns out blood banks are a huge money making business paying lavish benefits and salaries. People, out of the kindness of their hearts donate blood, many thinking that it will in turn be donated to those in need. Not so at Orlando's blood bank where a donated pint of blood was then sold to hospitals for $400 to $900 each. Hospitals then SELL the blood to those in need for $1200 a pint. How lucrative is the business, lucrative enough to pay the CEO, you may want to sit down for this, nearly $600,000 a year in salary and benefits. Check out this link and be prepared to have your image of the blood donation business altered forever.
www.orlandosentinel.com/.../orl-loc-blood-center-ceo-pay-031309-story. html