-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Liza is in need of platelets in Houston Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2007 18:48:33 -0500 From: Liza Matlack <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Dear Friends, This is Liza's partner, Jim, sending this email. I am sending it to almost everyone on Liza's list so I apologize if you are getting this more than once or hearing about Liza's condition for the first time. As the title says, Liza is in need of platelets here in Houston while she recovers from her Stem Cell transplant. We know that most of you are no where near Houston but are hoping you know someone who is who may be willing to donate. Please read below what her sister, Amy, has written. It pretty much says it all. Thanks for your help, Jim Here's Amy's email: Hello all-- As some of you know and others do not, my sister Liza is currently in Houston, TX at MD Anderson Cancer Center getting treatment for Leukemia. We are thrilled that she is at the top-rated cancer treatment facility in the country and that she has a really incredible medical team working to get her healthy again. She recently had a second bone-marrow transplant that was a little different than the first as part of an experimental treatment that has only been done on 8 other people, 7 of whom are in remission and doing well so there is much reason for hope. Unfortunately, this treatment I not without its risks and complications and we have run into a big one. A little over a week ago Liza was admitted to the ICU for a lung infection and remains in critical but stable condition. She is sedated and is intubated (has a breathing tube) so she is not conscious. But she is getting better slowly but surely which, the doctors say, is the best way to go. Slow progress is better for ultimate success. BUT as she works on getting better and being weaned from the breathing tube, she is needing 2 platelet transfusions per day. *So WE NEED YOUR HELP to find folks in the Houston area to donate platelets for Liza*. If she was back home, she would have plenty of folks to donate for her but she is in Houston away from family and friends. (We do donate as much as we can when we visit but she needs more.) *So what is platelet donation?* Platelets are the part of blood that allows you to clot. Donating platelets takes about 1 1/2-2 hours compared with whole-blood donation which takes about 20 minutes. The process is similar, they just have a machine that separates out the platelets and then returns the rest of your blood product back to you. This is actually a bit less taxing on the body than whole-blood donation. MD Anderson allows a person to donate every 48 hours. *How can someone donate for Liza?* 1. Call the MD Anderson Blood Donation Center to make an appointment or for more info. 713-792-7777 Or go to their website: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/bloodbank/. They have a few different locations so you can find the most convenient one. 2. Do NOT take any ibuprofen or Aspirin or green tea products for 48 hours before donating. Eat a good meal before donating (at least within a few hours). 3. When you arrive at the donation center, they will give you paperwork to fill out. On the sheet that asks for all your contact info, they ask if there is a designated recipient for your donation. Write *"Elizabeth Matlack 709193*" in that space. If you do not see where to write this, please please ask. This is really important. (709193 is her patient ID number.) *Does it help if I am not the same blood type as Liza?* YES! Liza is A+ but any donation helps. When someone donates for her, she gets a credit with the blood bank for a single donor donation (as opposed to platelets put together from several whole blood donations). Single donor donations are much more effective. The more credits she gets, the more platelets are available to her. *I am not in Houston and don't know anyone there, what can I do to help?* Pass this email along to anyone who might know someone (or know someone who knows someone) in Houston who is able to donate. We are counting on the whole six degrees of separation here so any way you can spread the word might help make that connection. Please also feel free to contact me if you have any other questions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] THANK YOU for your help by donating, spreading the word, etc. etc......I and the rest of Liza's family deeply appreciate it. Warmly, Amelia/Amy -- Liza Matlack www.artseducators.org four one five, three three six, five four nine two _______________________________________________ FRIENDS mailing list [email protected] http://lists.sffreaks.org/mailman/listinfo/friends
