Help Save Lives at the 7th Annual Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive at Lankenau Medical Center October 6 & 7

The 7th Annual Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive at Lankenau Medical Center will take place on Monday and Tuesday, October 6 and 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Lankenau’s Annenberg Conference Center (100 E. Lancaster Ave., Rooms 101A, B and C). All presenting donors at the drive will receive a gift bag, free entry into a prize drawing, and free parking. For every unit of blood collected, Axelrod’s family will make donations to Lankenau Medical Center and ElderNet of Lower Merion & Narberth. To schedule an appointment, visit http://www.chablooddrive.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (mention sponsor code “Lankenau”).

In 2003, Wynnewood resident Carol Axelrod was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood and bone marrow. During her treatment for the disease, she became dependent on regular transfusions of blood and platelets. The transfusions, which she received at Lankenau, allowed her to enjoy good quality of life and spend time with family and friends.

Axelrod’s family created the blood drive in order to give back to Lankenau Medical Center, the American Red Cross, and the blood-donor community that made it possible for Axelrod to receive all of the transfusions she needed during her treatment. They are committed to helping other patients spend more time with their loved ones by working to ensure that blood products are always available for those who need them. They try to educate people about the importance of blood donation while making sure that the blood donors at their drives have an enjoyable and positive donation experience.

Through the family’s “community challenge,” the upcoming blood drive will also support Lankenau Medical Center and ElderNet of Lower Merion & Narberth, which provides services to enable elderly, disabled, and low-income residents to continue living in their own homes safely and independently. If the blood drive collection surpasses last year’s total of 226 units, Axelrod’s family will double their donations to these organizations.

Since 2008, the family’s annual blood drives at Lankenau have collected more than 1,100 units of blood. Every unit of donated blood can be separated into components that can be given to as many as three patients, meaning that one donor can help save three lives. Human blood cannot be manufactured, and only volunteer blood donors can ensure that blood products are available for anyone who needs them, for any reason, in the days and weeks ahead.

Axelrod’s family now holds three memorial blood drives each year. In addition to the October drive at Lankenau, they hold drives in Radnor Township in May, and in the Lansdale area in July. They learned from personal experience that blood donors give patients and families an incomparable gift--the gift of time. Whether a blood donation is used to save a life, to prolong a life, or to improve the quality of life, it allows families to spend precious time together. Join Carol Axelrod’s family on October 6 or 7 and help them give the gift of time to another family.