{"id":13069,"date":"2017-11-20T12:20:44","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T19:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=13069"},"modified":"2021-07-08T13:48:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T19:48:56","slug":"donating-blood-the-power-of-second-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/donating-blood-the-power-of-second-chances\/","title":{"rendered":"Donating Blood: The power of second chances"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p>Linda Maher remembers going through a green light \u2014 and then there was a big thud.<br \/>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<p><strong>Visit or call a center today to make an appointment to donate. Come in yourself, or schedule a group donation where you bring friends and family to your closest center to donate for a personal cause.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Donation Center<\/strong>, 1025 Pennock Place, Suite 104, Fort Collins;\u00a0<span class=\"baec5a81-e4d6-4674-97f3-e9220f0136c1\"><a href=\"tel:970-495-8965\">970.495.8965<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hours:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Monday: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (Closed Christmas and New Year&#8217;s)<\/li>\n<li>Tuesday: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>Wednesday: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>Thursday: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>Friday: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies<\/strong>, 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave., Loveland;\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"baec5a81-e4d6-4674-97f3-e9220f0136c1\"><a style=\"margin: 0px; border: currentColor; width: 16px; height: 16px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: middle; float: none;\" title=\"Call: 970.616.6680\" href=\"tel:970-495-8965\">970.495.8965<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Hours:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wednesday and Thursday: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI heard things and felt things, but I wasn\u2019t sure what was going on,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI thought maybe I\u2019d had a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But it wasn\u2019t a heart attack. Maher\u2019s car had been broadsided by another driver, who had run a red light. As she held onto a good Samaritan\u2019s hand, she asked that he pray with her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI closed my eyes and that was it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13070\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13070\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13070 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20011923\/linda_husband-holding-hand-2-1200.webp\" alt=\"Linda Maher with her husband, Mike at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland in November 2015 after a car accident.\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20011923\/linda_husband-holding-hand-2-1200.webp 750w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20011923\/linda_husband-holding-hand-2-1200-225x300.webp 225w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20011923\/linda_husband-holding-hand-2-1200-113x150.webp 113w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20011923\/linda_husband-holding-hand-2-1200-200x267.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13070\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Linda Maher with her husband, Mike at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland in November 2015 after a car accident. Maher\u00a0received 22 units of blood and platelets while surgeons repaired her bladder, kidneys, stomach and intestines, as well as her pelvis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The importance of donating blood<\/h3>\n<p>Maher was rushed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-medical-center-of-the-rockies\/\">UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies<\/a> in Loveland, where over the next five days she received 22 units of blood and platelets while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-trauma-center-at-medical-center-of-the-rockies\/\">surgeons repaired<\/a> her bladder, kidneys, stomach and intestines, as well as her pelvis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy body had been crushed,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything internal had erupted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her husband was at her side, praying for her to live, as Maher continued in a medically induced coma for almost three weeks. When she finally became aware of what had happened, Maher asked about the accident, particularly about the person who hit her. She wanted to meet him.<\/p>\n<p>Tony Gonzalez, who had turned 24 that Nov. 2 day two years ago, was driving his 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse to his boss\u2019 house to get a ladder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI looked down for a second, and when I looked up it was red,\u201d he said. \u201cIt all happened really fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Second chances<\/h3>\n<p>A longtime community volunteer for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcgov.com\/restorativejustice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Fort Collins\u2019 Restorative Justice Services<\/a>, Maher knew that meeting Gonzalez could provide her with answers and help her heal \u2014 and she knew it had the potential to do the same for the young man.<\/p>\n<p>That was evident this year on Nov. 14. Maher and Gonzalez came together to host a blood drive with UCHealth\u2019s Garth Englund Blood Donation Center. Blood donations had saved Maher\u2019s life, so she wanted to save others \u2014 and Gonzalez wanted to be a part of that.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13078\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13078\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13078 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200.webp\" alt=\"Linda Maher talks with Tony Gonzalez\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200-300x218.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200-1024x742.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200-768x557.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200-150x109.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013710\/Blood-donation_Linda_tony_talking_1200-200x145.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13078\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Linda Maher, left, talks with Tony Gonzalez, during a Nov. 14 blood drive the two hosted together with UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Center in the City of Fort Collins courthouse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Why donate blood<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cIn the back of my mind I always knew the importance of donating blood, but it really hit home after meeting Linda,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n<p>Through a very planned and structured process with the Restorative Justice program, Maher was able to sit down with Gonzalez after the accident to begin the process of healing by discussing the incident\u2019s impact on their lives, and how Gonzalez may help repair the harm caused by the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez had been sentenced to 10 days in jail, three years of probation and 80 hours of community service. Maher has helped direct that community service, and the two of them have spoken together at local Impact of Crime classes, and now, hosted the blood drive together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about my community service,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cI feel this is something I need to do. And I\u2019ve learned a lot from Linda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maher said she, too, hadn\u2019t really thought about the importance of donating blood until the accident.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just never know when it could be you,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd you take for granted that there will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcrossblood.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">always be a supply<\/a>, but that\u2019s not the real truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13071\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13071\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13071 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013323\/linda-with-grandchild-in-stroller.webp\" alt=\"Linda Maher with her grandchild\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013323\/linda-with-grandchild-in-stroller.webp 750w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013323\/linda-with-grandchild-in-stroller-225x300.webp 225w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013323\/linda-with-grandchild-in-stroller-113x150.webp 113w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/11\/20013323\/linda-with-grandchild-in-stroller-200x267.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13071\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Linda Maher with her grandchild after the accident.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During the blood drive, 24 pints of blood were collected. The blood is split into plasma and red blood cells, doubling its impact, said Charles Kaine, the center\u2019s blood donor recruiter.<\/p>\n<h3>The increased need for donating blood<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cOur need for blood, on average, increases 20 percent during this time from mid-November through December,\u201d Kaine said. \u201cAnd then we see a drop of donations by 20 percent during that same time because everyone is busy and committed to doing a lot of other things. Between the two, we have a notable gap that we have to fill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When local donations don\u2019t come in, the center has to purchase blood from outside the community. Kaine said he hopes that won\u2019t be the case this year as next month\u2019s calendar is full of blood drives throughout the community (Sign up for one today; see information box within this story for dates, time and sign-up link.). Potential donors can schedule an appointment at the center, which will maintain regular hours through the holiday season.<\/p>\n<p>Having a chance to help their community has been encouraging for Maher and Gonzalez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTony and I have a good connection, and this process has given us hope,\u201d Maher said. \u201cIt\u2019s allowing us to move on with life, and we wanted to be able to give that to others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Linda Maher remembers going through a green light \u2014 and then there was a big thud. \u201cI heard things and felt things, but I wasn\u2019t sure what was going on,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI thought maybe I\u2019d had a heart attack.\u201d But it wasn\u2019t a heart attack. Maher\u2019s car had been broadsided by another driver, who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":13073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[146,147,895,1789],"class_list":["post-13069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-blood-donation","tag-blood-drive","tag-garth-englund-blood-donation-center","tag-uchealth-medical-center-of-the-rockies"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - 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