Blood Donors, Liquid Gold

By: Brian Bolton, Mackenzie's Uncle & MKF Board Member

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Every two seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion.

About 29,000 pints of red blood cells are needed every single day in the U.S. That’s more than 10 million per year – plus another 2 million pints of platelets and 3 million pints of plasma.

Each year, about 5 million Americans need someone else’s blood – because these blood components cannot be created in a lab, they can only be created by us.

Mackenzie Keiper was 1 of these 5 million people.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May 2021. Her tumors were too big, complex and sensitive to go directly to surgery. For ten months, she was part of a clinical trial with MD Anderson hoping to reduce (or kill) her tumors – so that surgery could become an option. It worked.

Mackenzie’s first surgery was on April 6, 2022. She had a follow-up surgery on April 18. She needed blood transfusions during each.

But she needed more than that – she needed somebody’s else’s blood throughout her 3-year journey.

• 2 units of blood after diagnosis in 2021. It turns out she had already lost close to 50% of her body’s blood supply.

• 10 units of blood with surgery on April 6, 2022.

• 6 units blood with surgery on April 18, 2022, plus another 2 units during recovery.

• 5 units of platelets during chemotherapy in April 2024.

That’s 20 units of someone else’s blood – or about 5 gallons – plus more than a gallon of someone else’s platelets during her three-year journey.

You can be that someone else. We all can.

It takes about 45 minutes to donate a pint of whole blood. You should be able to donate about 6 times a year. It takes about 2 ½ hours to donate a pint of platelets. You should be able to donate about 20 times a year.

Since Mackenzie and Kim were diagnosed, I’ve been donating platelets as often as I’m allowed. I’m close to 100 units now, or about 5 gallons. Why platelets? Because chemotherapy patients need them most. Paul has been donating whole blood as often as they will let him – because everyone needs the lifesaving red blood cells, plasma and platelets in whole blood.

Each time I donate, I complete a brief questionnaire. One of the questions is “Why are you donating today?” The first option is “Someone I know has needed blood.” I’m hoping that if I donate enough, they’ll just change that option to “Mackenzie.”

When a loved-one gets sick, with cancer or anything else, it’s easy to feel helpless. But we aren’t entirely helpless. I can’t perform surgery or perform medical miracles, but I can do my part to make sure every hospital has as much blood as they need. So can you. It’s the least we can do.

Brian Bolton donating blood.

Mack leaving MD Anderson after 2 surgeries and a month-long hospital stay.