Although a blood donor from his college days, Kelton Sams didn’t start giving quarterly until he was in the midst of his wife’s terminal illness. Photo by Dave Schafer.

Story by Leslie Denton-Roach

Andetricha Sams came home from work one day with severe back pain. Faced with countless meetings the next day, she went to the emergency room thinking she would be treated with muscle relaxants

She never returned to work.

The day before Thanksgiving, 1999, doctors diagnosed sarcoma, a cancer of the connective or supportive tissue such as bone, cartilage or muscle. Also, the cancer was metastatic, meaning it had spread to other parts of her body.

Over the next five years, her husband, Kelton Sams, saw his wife through eight major surgeries, including two on her brain, one of which lasted 10 hours.

Despite receiving the best of care, she died Jan. 1, 2004.

About halfway through his wife’s illness, Sams, a financial analyst IV in the Planning & Development Department, walked past the blood donation center at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and realized he could give something back.

“It just made sense to give. It wasn’t costing me anything but a few minutes of my time,” said Sams, who had been a periodic blood donor since college. “It was always something that I wanted to do, but this motivated me because if (blood) had not been available, she might very likely have died sooner.”

Since that day, Sams has missed only one opportunity to give blood.

One pint equals three lives
Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center needs at least 800 donations a day. Each unit of blood, about a pint, can save three lives.

Researchers are working to develop artificial blood, but for now there is no substitute available in the United States. The only place to get blood is from another human being.

Donors must be at least 17, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health, without any cold or flu symptoms. The GCRBC Web site has a complete list of common ailments and medications that could affect your ability to give.

You can find the list at www.giveblood.org under frequently asked questions.

At the blood center, donors complete a medical history to ensure the safety of both the donor and the recipient. They also need to present positive identification, list medications they are taking and list countries they have visited since 1980.

Then, the technician checks the donor’s temperature, blood pressure and pulse, and takes a small sample of blood to determine the iron level.

A phlebotomist chooses the best vein and scrubs the area with an antiseptic. The needle is inserted into the vein. At the beginning you may feel a brief sting.

The donation takes five to seven minutes.

When finished, you will rest for several minutes while enjoying juice and cookies before being released.

Most people feel fine after donating blood. Some feel faint or dizzy, have an upset stomach or have a bruise, or have redness or pain where the needle was.

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