ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Lynn firefighter Stacy Borjeson gives blood for Boston Children’s Hospital.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — A steady stream of donors visited the Lynn EMS headquarters on Lynnfield Street to give blood to Boston Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.
The Boston Children’s Hospital’s Bloodmobile, a 40-foot bus equipped with booths and donor beds, travels every Tuesday through Saturday to make donating blood easier, said nurse Kathleen Arthur. From screening to donation, the entire process can be completed in about 30 minutes.
The blood drive has been hosted by the Lynn Fire Department for six years, said Ryan Newhall, who organizes the event. Annual turnout averages about 75 donors, he said.
“It’s a tough time of year for them with the holidays,” Newhall said. “There are less donors. They lean on us now. It’s tough for them to get people to go into town to donate.”
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Inspired by a Massachusetts Port Authority firefighter who started a blood drive for a pediatric cancer patient he knew, Newhall proposed a Lynn drive six years ago. Former Chief Dennis Carmody and the rest of the department quickly jumped on board.
“Every year we get support from Chief (James) McDonald and we get a lot of support from Lynn firefighters,” Newhall said.
Retired District Fire Chief Jack Barry donates blood every eight weeks.
“I just think it’s the right thing to do,” Barry said. “There’s always a need. There’s a flux with volume that can be spontaneous but there’s always a need for the blood. Everyone who is able to should get out and make the effort to support the organizations that do this.”
Lynn firefighter and paramedic Stacy Borjeson said she recognizes the need and donates as often as she can.
“I have had friends that have had blood drives for their own kids,” she said.
Whole blood donations, blood that still contains all of its components, can be made every 56 days. During each sitting, one pint of blood is collected from a donor. One pint can help about four children, Arthur said. More than 24,000 patients need blood transfusions at Boston Children’s Hospital each year.
Donors can visit the hospital’s Blood Donor Center at 333 Longwood Ave., Boston on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m to 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fridays 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They should be well hydrated, eat a meal before donating and bring a photo ID.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.