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Dr. Martha Nielsen, a professor of medical microbiology and immunology at Creighton, had been giving blood for several years. She knew it was a worthy cause, but she never stopped to think about the people on the receiving end of her donations. That all changed when Nielsen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is cancer of the lymphoid tissue, and treatment typically involves several rounds of chemotherapy that decimate the patient’s bone marrow.

Before undergoing her chemotherapy treatment, Nielsen was told she needed a stem cell transplant, a new method of bone marrow transplantation whereby a patient is injected with growth factor shots that cause bone marrow stem cells to be released into the bloodstream so they can be collected, preserved in a freezer and eventually transplanted back into the patient after chemotherapy. Since it takes several weeks for the transfused stem cells to actually plant themselves in the patient’s bone marrow and start to produce blood cells and platelets, the patient must rely on donor transfusions for survival during this pivotal waiting period.

“I will always remember the day I received my first transfusion of donated platelets,” Nielsen said. “As I watched the cells flow down the tubing and into my body, I was overcome with gratitude for the unknown person who had donated them.”

According to the American Red Cross, approximately one out of every 10 patients admitted to the hospital needs blood, with more than 38,000 blood donations needed each day. Blood and blood products are not just used in the treatment of trauma victims; they are also used in surgeries and in the treatment of illnesses. A common and effective way to gather blood is through a blood drive, such as the one Creighton medical students and the American Red Cross hosted on campus on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Our number one reason to have blood drives is to ensure that any patient in need always has blood products,” Mia Wilcoxson, who works in account management for the American Red Cross in Omaha, said. “We supply blood products to nearly 250 hospitals in 10 states and across the nation.”

Wilcoxson, whose own mother received a transfusion, stressed the particular importance of student participation in the donation process, as high-school and college-aged students are a healthy and resilient demographic.

“I believe that the education of our younger members is very important due to the fact that most of our donors have reached the age where they are no longer eligible, for some sort of medical reason or health issues,” Wilcoxson said. “About 20-30 percent of the blood we collect is from high school and college students. It is very important to get young members started, so we do not ever have an issue of not having blood products for the future.”

Creighton medical student Maria Bye, who helped coordinate the Creighton blood drive along with fellow medical students Anu Chundu and Abby Fall, said students should not be intimidated by the blood donation process. As a previous phlebotomist for the American Red Cross and frequent donor herself, Bye said the process is fairly easy and comfortable, consisting of a medical history questionnaire, a quick physical exam and finally the phlebotomy itself—an hour-long process that can provide a lifetime of benefit for a patient in need.

Nielsen is one of those prior donors who, given her medical history, will never be able to donate again. She still stays involved as a coordinator for blood drives at her church, and she said her experience as a blood transfusion recipient has encouraged her to consider the personal relationship that is inevitably created between a blood donor and the eventual recipient. Nielsen’s transformed outlook has also impacted her daughter, who now gives platelets religiously and recently registered with the bone marrow donor registry.

“I can never give again,” Nielsen said. “But my mission is to encourage others to give on my behalf.

“I now persuade other people to give ,because it’s the right thing to do, and because giving blood saves lives, but I also ask them to say a prayer as they donate for the people who will receive their blood.”

For more information about blood donation and upcoming blood drives, please visit redcrossomaha.org.