The following is a call to the community from the API Blood Drive:
API blood is needed now more than ever. Will you answer our call?
• Less than 1% of the Asian community donates blood
• Every two minutes, someone in Western Washington needs a blood transfusion
• Only 35 percent of the entire population is eligible to give blood at any given time
• 5 percent of the total eligible population actually donates
To date, over 1,000 pints of blood have been collected through the API Blood Drive, saving over 3,000 lives, but we want to save even more lives. The upcoming drive will be held at Chinese Baptist Church, 5801 Beacon Ave. South, Seattle, 98118 on Saturday, March 21, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Most patients requiring more than one blood transfusion require what we call a “Perfect Match” or else the body will reject it. A “Perfect Match” goes beyond the ABO/RH blood typing. Certain blood types are unique, through the existence or lack of different proteins and antibodies, to specific racial and ethnic groups.
The API Blood Drive & Bone Marrow Registration Event was started Edwin Wong, who passed away last Spring. This upcoming blood drive will be held in honor of founder Edwin Wong or “Uncle Ed.” The initial idea was started after the passing of Edwin’s son, Kirby Wong, in 2001. Edwin and his wife Anna started the Kirby Wong Memorial Blood Drive (now known as the API Blood Drive & Bone Marrow Registration Event) to encourage more people of Asian descent to contribute to the community blood supply. In partnership with Kin On, this blood and bone marrow drive continued far beyond the original five-year commitment.
To schedule an appointment, you may contact Bloodworks NW at (800) 398-7888 or visit www.bloodworksnw.org/drives.
Kin On together with Bloodworks Northwest (Puget Sound Blood Center), National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Seattle Chapter, Chinese Baptist Church, and Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church co-sponsor this event.