Hitting her 100th donation and helping the summer drive

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 6/23/15

Although it took a few tries, Jo-Ann Langseth, a 70-year-old Warwick resident, made her 100th blood donation Friday afternoon.

So excited to make her 100th donation, Langseth …

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Hitting her 100th donation and helping the summer drive

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Although it took a few tries, Jo-Ann Langseth, a 70-year-old Warwick resident, made her 100th blood donation Friday afternoon.

So excited to make her 100th donation, Langseth worked herself up to the point that her blood pressure was too high to donate more than once, but was able to donate in the Bloodmobile at a blood drive in East Greenwich last week.

Donors like Langseth, who go for regular donations every few months, are crucial, especially during the summer when donations slow down because people are on vacation, the schools where many drives are held are out for the summer and people are more focused on relaxing than donating.

Despite the warm weather, every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, according to the Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC). The RIBC supplies all of the hospitals throughout Rhode Island with blood.

Kara LeBlanc, marketing communications manager for the Rhode Island Blood Center, said the center is grateful to Jo-Ann and everyone who is willing to donate blood.

“Taking a little of your time to give can mean a lifetime for someone else. Blood donors literally save lives and help people battling diseases like cancer have a second chance at a life, people right here in our own state,” she said in an email.

LeBlanc explained that 375,000 Rhode Islanders are eligible to donate, but annually only about 46,000 do. She encourages more people to be like Langseth and donate regularly to help save lives.

Langseth is quite dedicated to donating, as seen from her multiple attempts for a 100th donation, but also in 2005, only two months after an idiopathic stroke that left Langseth blind for four days, she was back to donate.

Rather than a drain, Jo-Ann Langseth believes giving blood is actually a “kick start” for the body.

Langseth first donated as part of a college blood drive in 1966 while attending the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York. She has been donating ever since between thee and four times a year.

“I see giving blood as a tonic for the body,” she said. “When you’re down a quart of blood the body marshals its forces to make new blood, and I find it’s revitalizing.”

At 70 years old, Langseth said she feels about 22 years old after giving blood and having “fresh” blood moving throughout her body.

Many assume because of age or medications they cannot donate, but as seen with Langseth, in most cases people are eligible to donate.

Despite her “selfish” reason for donating, Langseth also gets excited to know that she could be helping save people’s lives. After 100 donations she thinks her blood must have helped at least one person at this point in a big way.

Langseth said she gets a similar feeling to the one she had when pregnant, that despite doing very little physically, doing meaningful work nonetheless.

“Your lying there doing nothing, but so much at the same time that little bag can potentially save two to three lives, that makes you feel good,” Langseth said.

She encourages people to donate themselves, assuring that the needle is no more than a “mild prick,” and although people may think there are adverse health effects, there aren’t.

This summer RIBC is teaming up with first responders from all over Rhode Island to promote donations, and their slogan, “When it comes to life-saving blood, you are the first responder.” All summer long the RIBC will share the stories of first responders who were directly impacted by blood donations in some way.

Their first was the story of a Portsmouth firefighter, Dominic Lautieri, whose son was diagnosed with leukemia, was given platelets right away.

Scott Asadorian, chief operating officer of the Rhode Island Blood Center, said in a press release, “We reached out to first responders to help us get the word out this summer because they are there for our community 24/7, 365 days a year. When it comes to ensuring blood is always available to patients in need, it’s people in our own communities who are the first responders.”

For more information on the Rhode Island Blood Center or to see if you are eligible to donate visit, www.ribc.org, call 453-8307 or stop into any of their locations throughout the state.

You can follow the stories of first responders at ribc.org/hero and on RIBC’s social media pages. If you are interested in helping by holding a blood drive, contact Nicole Pineault by email at npineault@ribc.org.

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