Ninth Annual Save a Life Blood Drive Attracts Sharks and Fans
By Loren Magaña, Public relations and media specialist
On any given night, players from the San Jose Sharks dole out brutal bone crushing body checks to opposing teams in the rink. This often leads to a bloody mess on the ice, much to the delight of the National Hockey League’s greatest fans.
On January 10, hundreds of those same fans descended upon the SAP Center to show their own team spirit by donating blood at the ninth annual Save a Life Blood Drive hosted by the Sharks Foundation and Stanford Blood Center (SBC).
Traditionally one of SBC’s biggest drives of the year, the 2015 event was no exception.
Overall, 267 units were collected, potentially impacting 801 patients. Three donors also registered for the Be The Match Marrow Program and another 6 registered as “Donate Life California” donors, potentially saving 48 lives with the gift of their organs and more than 300 people with the gift of their tissue.
The drive also hosted an impressive 53 first-time donors. “I thought I would make 2015 the year I start donating blood as part of the ‘giving back philosophy’ of Martin Luther King,” said first time donor Torrey Nance. “It also doesn’t hurt that I get to see some of my favorite San Jose Sharks, too!”
Participating donors had the rare opportunity to get a VIP private viewing of the Sharks morning practice and were also entered into a drawing for cool signature Sharks memorabilia.
After morning practice, popular Sharks Defenseman #52 Matt Irwin stopped to chat with SBC about the importance of donating blood and share a little insight on the Sharks’ season:
In addition, fans were treated to surprise appearances from beloved Sharkie himself, #89 Barclay Goodrow and #10 Andrew Desjardins, who took numerous photos with grateful donors and thanked them for their participation.
“We are really fortunate and very thankful to have such tremendous partners like the San Jose Sharks and the Sharks Foundation to help give us a much needed boost to our blood supply inventory,” said Elisa Manzanares, Account Manager for SBC, “We very much look forward to the10th anniversary of this event next year.”
Interested in becoming a donor? Make an appointment online or give us a call at 888-723-7831.