ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Blood donation advocates from across the Lehigh Valley are speaking out about what Miller-Keystone Blood Center means to them.
The support comes as one of the blood bank’s largest customers is set to end its contract as a primary supplier.
Come the new fiscal year, Lehigh Valley Health Network says it will drop Miller-Keystone as its primary blood supplier and use the American Red Cross because it's less expensive.
"When someone is hospitalized or diagnosed with something, people sometimes think 'OK, I'm gonna [make] a baked ziti.' When I was diagnosed and hospitalized with this, people did a blood drive,” said Megan D'Agosta, of Allentown.
The mother of two received more than 600 units of blood after being diagnosed with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), a rare life-threatening blood disorder.
"There's a relationship there, that I met my donor, I met some of my donors. I don't know that I would meet my donors if I was re-given blood,” she said of her donors who contributed blood through Miller-Keystone.
Now, after more than 20 years in remission, D’Agosta is an advocate for the local blood bank.
"I say yes to Miller because they said yes to me and the donor said yes to them," she said. She not only speaks in support of the non-profit, but she also coordinates drives for them.
"When we're talking about somebody local that needs something and we locally can provide that, that's priceless."Megan D'Agosta, Allentown
"Obviously, I want blood products to get to the people that are in need. When we're talking about somebody local that needs something and we locally can provide that, that's priceless,” she said.
D’Agosta was the force behind a drive for Sofia Groves, of Allentown, after the family friend fell ill.
"Everyone had a part in her healing process, and you know, this was my part,” said D’Agosta.
"She rallied the troops and she did a Miller-Keystone blood drive in my name,” Groves said.
At age 22 and living with Lupus, Groves experienced complications from a Lupus medication that caused a stroke and seizures.
“I used 100 pints of blood. I used platelets, plasma,” she recalled. "I was receiving blood transfusion after blood transfusion."
Three years later, Groves attributes the call for local donations and the availability of a local blood bank, like Miller-Keystone, to her survival.
"I do think that Miller-Keystone, God, family and friends and people who stepped up and donated blood saved my life,” she said.
Those local blood drives are what Denise McGaughran has made a career planning and teaching. She’s an instructor of health-related technology at Career Institute of Technology in Forks Township.
"My role is to inspire and educate students to donate blood, to instruct my students who have identified a health career as their future goal, for a career, to teach them how to plan and organize the blood drives,” McGaughran said.
"The whole time I've been teaching I've been doing Miller-Keystone blood drives increasing our numbers and trying to get as many high school students to learn how important their gift is.”
The instructor oversees about 70 students who sign up to donate at each drive.
"The whole time I've been teaching, I've been doing Miller-Keystone blood drives increasing our numbers and trying to get as many high school students to learn how important their gift is,” she said. "We support Miller-Keystone because we know the blood stays right here in our community."
The class has four drives a year that begin in September and happen every 56 days. Those donations through Miller-Keystone stay in the greater Lehigh Valley to help people, like D'Agosta and Groves.
"If people didn't step up and donate, I would have been dead, but because they did donate, I'm alive and I was able to go to physical therapy and eat healthy and do whatever my doctors recommended and now I'm healthy. I'm happy,” Groves said.
LVHN is set to switch to the American Red Cross as its primary donor, with Miller-Keystone being a secondary supplier, starting July 1.
Talks between the two organizations are ongoing.
