Bloodworks 101

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message This is a story about a bone marrow transplant, a mother’s dying wish, a long-held family secret, and how one way to find your sister is by saving her life fourteen years before you met her for the first time. And how all those things came together from six states away in a way that even the people involved still find hard to believe. Whe...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message How did Bloodworks staff get through quarantine? Bloodworks 101's own John Yeager and Bill Harper, along with Donor Center Collections Strategist Kyle Boynton, lost themselves in the magic of movies - and, through this, found connection. Support the show

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message We throw around the expression, "It's a matter of life and death," so frequently that the words can lose their impact. However, when you talk to trauma and transplant surgeons at the University of Washington Hospital and Seattle Children's Hospital about the consequences of not having enough blood on hand for critical...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Dr. Charles Drew is known as the Father of Blood Banking.  He’s credited with saving thousands of lives during World War II after coming up with the concept of the blood bank but he resigned after a ruling that the blood of African Americans would be segregated.  Drew died in an automobile accident in April of 1950. To this day, some beli...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message We find investigators in a lot of places, mainly in movie and television crime dramas. But there is a group of dedicated investigators at the Bloodworks Research Institute in Seattle that looks into cases of life and death every day. In this edition of Bloodworks 101, host John Yeager introduces us to that group; Dr. Jose Lopez, Sumi Para...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Bloodworks has data that says a lot of potential donors don’t give because they don’t think they’re eligible.  And it’s true that many folks in the US do not meet the FDA’s strict eligibility requirements to give blood to another person. But there are opportunities for nearly everyone, regardless of FDA requirements, to make a big impact....

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message It's hard enough to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. Now try to do it with a life-threatening blood disorder like Hemophilia B that can cause serious internal bleeding. That's exactly what Colorado-based mountaineer Chris Bombardier attempted to do in 2017 when he produced a documentary called, "Bombardie...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message One year ago, as the enormity of the Covid-19 pandemic began to reveal itself, the blood supply in the Pacific Northwest suddenly became perilously close to total collapse. That's one of the things that Bloodworks Northwest President and CEO remembers about what life was like here at what Bailey calls, "the epicenter of the pand...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In April of 2020, long before vaccines came on the scene, one of the most promising treatments for those suffering with the coronavirus was Covid-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP). Back then, in some of the darkest days of the pandemic, Bloodworks Northwest started looking for those people who'd contracted Covid-19 and had enough antibodi...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Even though an aggressive form of leukemia took his life at age 6, Declan Reagan’s story is about living with cancer, not dying from it. In this episode of Bloodworks 101, his mom Lauren describes Declan’s penchant for pushing limits and breaking rules, and her determination to find a way for him to see the new Jurassic World movie that w...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In this special Women's History Month edition of "Bloodworks 101," Dr. Jill Johnsen from the Bloodworks Research Institute talks about why she thinks Covid-19 is disproportionately impacting women in science. As she tells host John Yeager,  while there has been much progress made by women in the field, there's still a...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Seattle's Mack Bell is a 30 year-old African-American man living with Cerebral Palsy. Four years ago, it didn't look like Bell was going to make it. But  today, thanks to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the support and comfort from his former high school principal as well as dozens of Bloodworks Northwest blood donors he'...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message February is Black History Month, a time set aside to recognize the accomplishments African- Americans have made in society as well as honestly face the areas where progress still needs to be made. This episode of "Bloodworks 101," recognizes the accomplishments made by our community partner, the Seattle Mariners who lead Major L...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message February is Black History Month so our own Juan Cotto spent some time talking with Oregon State Senator, James Manning, an African American leader who's made his presence felt in the lives of his constituents but also in the lives of many people he'll never know.  Support the show

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message We launched "Bloodworks 101" last January with a story about Bloodworks Northwest blood courier, Tom Newman. The episode was entitled "Paying it Forward with Tom Newman" (S1 E1). It explored why Newman drives all over the Pacific Northwest delivering and picking up lifesaving blood products. It's vital work that N...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In this encore edition of "Bloodworks 101," we'll meet Communications Specialist Bill Harper,  a gifted storyteller here at Bloodworks Northwest. But in this special encore edition of "Bloodworks 101," that ran on Independence Day, 2020, you'll find out why one of the best stories Bill tells is the one about...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Last spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning, long-time blood donor Tom Baldridge walked into the Bloodworks Northwest Donor Center in Bellingham, Washington to donate blood. He did it to help save lives during the early stages of the pandemic. But little did he know that it would change his life - in a big way.  Support the s...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Dr. Jose Lopez was recently named Chief Scientific Officer for the Seattle-based Bloodworks Research Institute. Not bad for a kid who grew up poor in the hills of New Mexico. Though Dr. Lopez faced long odds, his upbringing has helped him discover other diamonds in the rough. The net effect? Lives are saved through important research done...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) in treating those testing positive for the virus has provided a real ray of hope. Back in September, Bloodworks employee Angie Keller's mother was diagnosed with COVID-19. At 81 years old, her risk was significant. Fortunately, Angie's mom was approv...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Ruger is a golden retriever who works with Kitsap Search & Rescue but he's also part of a new program Bloodworks Northwest is now offering to search and rescue operations all over the Pacific Northwest. And as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, Ruger may be a pure bred golden retriever but in this case he's a dif...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message The global coronavirus pandemic has upended just about everything about how we live our lives today, even striking deep and very quickly at the heart of our blood supply.  In this episode of Bloodworks 101, we hear from Bloodworks Executive Vice President of Blood Services and blood industry veteran Vicki Finson – who’s adapted to just ab...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Back in March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first began, it looked like the impact on our ability to collect blood would be devastating. Social distancing guidelines forced our fleet of bloodmobiles off the streets, blood drives at high schools, colleges and businesses were now suddenly a thing of the past.  So Bloodworks Northwest started...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message An update to the remarkable true life story. Seattle's Sue Nixon owes her life to the quick response of genuine Good Samaritans and paramedics at Medic One, the tireless research of scientists at Bloodworks Northwest's Research Institute, and the blood donations of people she may never meet. But it all started The Day a Heart St...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Communications Specialist Bill Harper is a gifted storyteller here at Bloodworks Northwest. But in this special Independence Day edition of Bloodworks 101, you'll find out why one of the best stories Bill tells is the one about his own journey and why the Fourth of July has a special significance for him. When Bill Harper speaks abou...

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Is there a connection between blood type and risk factors for COVID-19? That's what Dr. Jill Johnsen from the Bloodworks Northwest Research Institute wants to find out. This episode explores that question and others as the search for answers in the COVID-19 pandemic continues.   Support the show