Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message There's a common misconception that when you adopt a pet, you're saving that animal's life. It's a one-way street, right? Well, at the Portland Humane Society, Jim Nelson can tell you that pets give us so much in return. On this edition of Bloodworks 101, Jim and Oregon Humane Society's Laura Klink tell producer John Yeager about that strong bond between people and their pets that's such a big part of our Give Blood Rescue a Human campa...
Jun 26, 2025•18 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message When something at a Blood Center needs maintenance, you can't just slap some duct tape on it and call it good — the FDA does not like that. That's where Cassy Alaire comes in. Cassy and the Quality Control team at Bloodworks ensure that all of our equipment meets the rigorous standards needed to collect blood for local patients.
Jun 19, 2025•22 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message June 14 is World Blood Donor Day, and while giving blood looks a little different, no matter where in the world you are donating, much is the same, too. There’s always a need, no matter what language you speak or what snacks you eat in the canteen. In this episode, you'll hear from two donors covering three continents.
Jun 12, 2025•8 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month. And there are few people moree aware of gun violence than Tualatin City Councillor Maria Reyes. When the City Council met a while back, an official proclamation was read, honoring Bloodworks Northwest. On these occasions, there's usually a lot of pomp and bluster. Official proclamations can often go on and on. But little did those attending the meeting know, this official proclamation hit C...
Jun 05, 2025•15 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message What do you do when your child starts acting "differently"? When you just know something's wrong. That was the grim prospect Tigard, Oregon's Anna Kervers faced a few years back when her son, Theo was diagnosed with leukemia. Anna shared her story with Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager. We're calling it "When Your Life Just Stops."
May 29, 2025•14 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Right now, Bloodworks Northwest is embarking upon a new awareness campaign we're calling "Give Blood, Rescue a Human." It emphasizes the powerful bond between people and their pets and the lifesaving act of blood donation. If you want evidence of that powerful bond, just ask Dylan Smith and Jake Cole, both who work for Bloodworks Northwest in the Portland area. That's what Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager did. But wait til you hear t...
May 22, 2025•19 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message It seems like everyone has a reason why they donate blood. For Brandon Macz, with Seattle Humane, it's personal. Bloodworks 101 Producer John Yeager caught up with Brandon as he was sharing his story during his recent blood donation at the Bloodworks Seattle Central Donor Center on Seattle's First Hill.
May 15, 2025•8 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Susan Gallotte may not have donated gallons upon gallons, but what she gives is perhaps the most intense type of blood donation of all: mobilized blood forming stem cells for research. For Susan, it all goes back to her mom and her fight against cancer. Learn more about mobilized blood forming stem cells...
May 08, 2025•21 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In a couple weeks, Bloodworks Northwest will launch a new campaign that celebrates the powerful bond between people and their pets and the lifesaving power of blood donation. You'll hear plenty about that as the summer approaches. But today, Bloodworks 101 Producer John Yeager introduces us to a amazing platelet donor in the in the Portland area who enjoys that powerful bond between her and her dog, Tigger. But she also knows firsthand,...
May 01, 2025•13 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message This podcast is designed to inspire you to donate either time, money of blood. That's what we say every episode. Well today, you're going to meet someone who devotes a lot of time to the lifesaving work done here at Bloodworks. Her name is Adelyn Emil and as Bloodworks 101 Producer John Yeager found out, the volunteer work she does for Bloodworks is designed to prepare bystanders to step in and help accident or shooting victims in the p...
Apr 24, 2025•14 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message For many high schoolers, donating blood is a rite of passage, something cool you can do when you turn 16. For Grayson Goodman, it's more like a calling: blood donation means a lot to the Goodman family. After all, donated blood gave Grayson's dad, Hunter, more years with his family.
Apr 17, 2025•12 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Persistence pays off. Want proof? Just ask Dr. Joanne Thambuswamy, a persistent person if there ever was one. But she's also a platelet donor. And as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager tells us, Joanne is now planning to go somewhere amazing simply because she refused to give up.
Apr 10, 2025•13 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message As anyone who's seen an idea become a piece of legislation and they'll tell you it takes a lot of work by a lot of people, especially in deeply divided political times like these. But as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, there's action in the Washington State Legislature right now that has broad appeal across party lines. John spoke to Bloodworks' Director of Government Affairs, Juan Cotto about two bills that look pretty p...
Apr 03, 2025•16 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message At Bloodworks, we like to say that platelets are "golden." Why? well, as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, it's because they have such an impact on the people who receive them. But it's also because of the time and sacrifice it takes to produce them. For this edition, John spoke to Bloodworks' Senior Product Strategy Manager Kyle Boynton....
Mar 27, 2025•19 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message As a tech-savvy marketer, blood donor Mike Burlin likes to automate his donations as much as possible. Which hasn’t always been the case: after his dad was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), blood and stem cell donation were often on Mike’s mind. Schedule your next blood donation: donate.bloodworksnw.org Learn more about cord blood donation: bloodworksnw.org/cordblood Join the bone marrow registry: nmdp.org...
Mar 20, 2025•19 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message We often think of blood transfusion in units, or pints of blood. But that's not always the case. Sometimes it can be just a matter of a few tablespoons as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out when he paid a visit to the Library Director at the North Plains Public Library near Portland.
Mar 13, 2025•10 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message We've all heard the expression, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Well, Seattle's Rebecca Kasper knows what can happen when you apply that expression to say ... the attempt to donate blood. And as she told Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager, what happened when Rebecca refused to give up is something that she'll never forget.
Mar 06, 2025•9 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message The new federal administration has issued a number of wide-ranging executive orders and policy changes that directly impact the Bloodworks Research Institute in Seattle. Just how important is the work done at the Research Institute? Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager spoke to Dr. Jose Lopez, the Research Institute's Chief Scientific Officer.
Feb 28, 2025•26 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message By day, Lynette Manning is a Regional Manager for Bloodworks Northwest. By night? That's a different story. That's because Lynette is a rising star on the national comedy scene. Where does she get her material? Well, as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, for Manning it's just "everyday stuff."
Feb 20, 2025•21 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message When the Tualatin City Council met recently during National Blood Donor Month, an official proclamation was read, honoring Bloodworks Northwest. On these occasions, there's usually a lot of pomp and bluster. Official proclamations can often go on and on. But little did those attending the meeting know, this official proclamation hit Councilor Maria Reyes hard. As she tells Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager, that's because this proclam...
Feb 13, 2025•15 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message February is Black History Month, a time set aside to celebrate achievements by Black Americans in this country. But as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, it's also a time to take a good hard look at how the blood banking industry has failed to reach out to this community in a meaningful and long-lasting way. That failure is reflected in the low numbers of black donors who come through the doors at Bloodworks Northwest Donor ...
Feb 06, 2025•13 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message This week, Bloodworks Northwest has been forced to declare a "Code Red" regarding the state of the blood supply in our region. As Bloodworks 101 producer found out in his talk with Bloodworks President & CEO Curt Bailey, there are many reasons we find ourselves here and the way out of the woods may not come quickly.
Jan 30, 2025•19 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message To say we live in politically polarized times would be an understatement. But there are issues where conservatives and liberals can find common ground. Blood donation is one of them and it's Juan Cotto's job as Bloodworks' Director for Government Affairs to bring Washington State's politicians together on this lifesaving issue. On today's edition of Bloodworks 101, Juan shares his 2025 legislative agenda with Bloodworks 101 producer Joh...
Jan 23, 2025•14 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Bloodworks 101 Co-Producer Helen Pitlick met up with Dennis Gelvin at Bloodworks’ Olympia Donor center to get a lesson in philately (fill-at-uh-lee): the study and collection of stamps and other items related to mail and postage. As it turns out, there are more than a few parallels between blood donation and philately. For pictures and more information, please visit our blog: https://blog.bloodworksnw.org/a-philatelic-blood-donor...
Jan 16, 2025•19 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Most platelet donations are stored at room temperature, sacrificing shelf life for circulation time in a patient's body. But patients who are actively bleeding don't need platelets to last for a long time — they need them to get to work, fast. The Stolla lab at Bloodworks Research Institute is investigating the efficacy of cold-stored (refrigerated) platelets, and Bloodworks is in a unique position to help. Learn more: bloodworksnw.org/...
Jan 09, 2025•21 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message January is National Blood Donor Month, a time set aside to celebrate the importance of blood donation and the act of "giving back." So, we're recognizing two members of our community who live out those words by how they give back to our community. And thanks to committed members of our music community and Sonic Guild, Bloodworks is recognizing Seattle singer-songwriter Sara Camille and singer and frontman, Marshall Hugh of the Marshall ...
Jan 02, 2025•11 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In 2016, University of Washington sociology professor and mother of two, Alexes Harris was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a type of cancer where the blood-producing cells in a patient’s bone marrow became abnormal and create blood cells that don’t function properly. As Bloodworks 101 producer Bill Harper tells us, Alexes underwent chemotherapy treatment to reach remission, but when it came time to find a suitable bone ma...
Dec 31, 2024•18 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In February of 2024, since it was Black History Month, we took a hard look at Sickle Cell Disease, a devastating genetic blood disorder that predominantly impacts people of African descent. In this Bloodworks 101 Best of 2024 episode, producer Helen Pitlick told us that Sickle Cell disease is an unfortunate reality for many members of Black communities, and at Bloodworks, we’d like to make it history. Dr. Raymond Adili of Bloodworks Res...
Dec 30, 2024•21 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Meet Bloodworks' newest Principal Investigator, Dr. Moua Yang. Dr. Yang sat down with Bloodworks 101 producer Helen Pitlick to discuss his research, what drives his work, and how Bloodworks Research Institute is changing how we think about more than just blood -- Dr. Yang just might make you eat your veggies, too. Here's today's BEST OF 2024 episode entitled, "The Chemistry of Clotting."...
Dec 29, 2024•20 min
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message When you walk into a Bloodworks Northwest Donor Center, mobile drive or pop-up center to donate blood, you never know the difference you can make. Ridgefield, Washington's Joshua Bell has first-hand knowledge of that. And as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager tells us in this BEST OF 2024 episode, that donation can often make the biggest difference in the world....
Dec 28, 2024•8 min
