FORT IRWIN, Calif. - A U.S. Army Radiology Technologist assigned to Fort Irwin Medical Activity take the time during her lunch hour to donate blood at Sandy Basin Community Center Jan 31.
“I like to donate blood simply for the fact that I know it's something that can potentially save someone's life,” said Sgt. Kristina L. Paige, Radiology Technologist at Weed Army Community Hospital.
During Blood Donor Awareness Month Fort Irwin community members supported the Armed Services Blood Program by donating blood collected by a civilian blood agency.
Paige described her experience of giving birth to premature twins as being the reason why she donates blood to this day. Her twins were cared for on the neonatal intensive care unit and it was during this time she was told by NICU staff she can help premature babies by donating her blood. Paige was informed that her blood type is one of the most common blood types used for NICU babies.
Even though she had an extremely rough time when she gave birth to her twins, she didn’t consider them to be as bad as some of the other babies in the NICU. Describing her emotions, she recalled watching the other parents struggle, not knowing whether or not their babies would make it; explaining how it was a hard thing to see.
“I cried every time I had to leave my babies, and every time I saw or heard the other parents cry for their babies,” said Paige.
Since then she has made it a point to donate blood every chance she gets, even though she really don’t care for needles, “AT ALL!” Telling herself if there was ever anything she could do to help ease the pain she witnessed other families go through, she would. She explained the only thing she get out of donating is the pure satisfaction her donation might help save someone's life. In the past six years she has donated at average about three times a year.
“My situation was nowhere near as serious as what other people have experienced, or are currently going through, but I can empathized with them and will do my part every chance I get,” said Paige.
According to militaryblood.dod.mil, ASBP is a tri-service organization, that represents all three services Army, Navy and Air Force and is tasked with the collection, processing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products to ill or injured service members, veterans and their families worldwide. ASBP work closely with all civilian blood agencies and other local hospital organizations in times of need. When civilian agencies collect blood on a military installation, an agreement is made to ensure that for every certain number of units collected, a certain number of credits are set aside to be used upon request by ASBP. ASBP blood recipients are most often thought of as deployed service members injured in the line of duty, but ASBP also provides blood for service members and their families back home and in military treatment facilities around the globe.
To learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program visit https://militaryblood.dod.mil.