friday, october 31, 2003
news
the university daily kansan 5A
Students save lives, earn money donating plasma at local centers
By Ellyn Angelotti editor@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
Topeka junior Justin Montgomery's use of needles has resulted in visible veins called track marks on both of his arms. Although his parents do not approve, he said the money was good.
"My parents tell me to get a real job, but giving plasma is a good way to get quick cash," he said.
The cash he made was nice, he said, but he assured his parents his main motivation was to save lives. Plasma is the liquid part of the blood, which is composed of 90 percent water and 10 percent protein. Plasma is commonly used to help hemophiliacs, whose blood does not clot properly. Plasma also produces albumin, a fluid replacement for burn and trauma victims.
Montgomery, a donor of both blood and plasma, began donating blood because he wanted to help burn victims. Food and Drug Administration restrictions prohibit donors from giving plasma for 90 days after they give blood, prompting Montgomery to donate plasma.
Because plasma is primarily water, and more easily replaced than the red blood cells that compose blood, donors can give plasma twice a week. Blood donors must wait 56 days before
giving again. And plasma donors are paid, while blood donors are not. Montgomery said he opted to give plasma so he could help save lives and make money doing it.
"I've probably made over $300 since I've started," he said.
He does not have a job. To help pay for his expenses, he has been donating plasma for more than two years, Montgomery said. Plasma donors can make as much as $50 a week, $20 for the initial visit and $30 for the second.
While people are paid for plasma, the larger demand is for blood supply. Right now, the American Red Cross depends on a three-day blood supply, meaning that with no new donations, the supply would fulfill the need for blood in the Kansas and Northern Oklahoma area for three days.
"It's not serious enough right now that we are canceling surgeries, but we would be in trouble if there was a major occurrence," said Bree Cox, communications supervisor for the American Red Cross Central Plains Region services.
She said a five to seven day supply was optimal.
"There is always a shortage." Cox said.
More than 500 people in the Central Plains region need blood every day.
"We are collecting more blood than ever, it's just that usage is up tremendously," said Wendy Thomas, assistant director for
While it takes 10 to 15 minutes to donate a pint of blood, it can take as long as two hours to give plasma. The time difference between donating blood and plasma is a result of the procedure. Both processes require drawing blood, but giving plasma consists of both a draw cycle and a return cycle where the actual blood cells are put back into the donor through the same needle.
donor collection at the Community Blood Center.The increased demand has been caused by medical advances that have helped cancer victims, the primary recipients of blood transfusions, live longer.
Michael Kanter, assistant manager of the Lawrence Plasma Center, said plasma separates from the heavier red and white blood cells during plasma donation. The blood cells collect in a reservoir, while the plasma gathers into a separate container.
When the reservoir is full, the return cycle begins, and the blood is put back into the donor's arm. Donors go through 10 to 12 full cycles during each donation. The whole process can take as long as two hours, depending on the size of the donor's vein.
Anne Wempe, Topeka junior has been donating blood since she was in high school. She said she donated blood because she
knew it was for a good cause. This summer when Wempe needed cash, she decided to give plasma.
Kanter said the center paid people for their time.
"It's a longer process and the needle is in your arm for at least 45 minutes, but other than that I felt the same after giving plasma as I did when I gave blood," Wempe said.
"Altruistically it would be better, and it would be better for business if people gave us their plasma for free, but we know more people will give if they are paid," Kanter said.
The staff members at the plasma center, including Kanter, do not need to be registered nurses. The German Health Authority, the group that regulates the plasma center, requires a registered nurse to be in the building from the time a needle goes in until a needle comes out. Despite being regulated internationally, the plasma centers still must meet the same FDA restrictions that blood centers do.
"If you can donate blood, you can donate plasma." Kanter said.
Montgomery said that he liked that he could give plasma once or twice a month.
"You can't go wrong with the cash," he said, "But really, I'm all about saving lives."
- Edited by Doyle Murphy
International students learn holiday traditions, host party
By Johanna M. Maska
jmaska@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Ghosts and goblins were foreign concepts to one student, even on Halloween.
Last year, Kengo Terada, Lawrence sophomore and Kansas columnist, moved here from Japan. It was his first time experiencing Halloween, he said.
"I was surprised by these people," Terada said. "They all wear costumes."
Terada was one of many international students that learned about Halloween at the International Student Association. Gaston Araoz, president of the organization and La Paz, Bolivia, junior, said that was the problem—the international students didn't know enough about Halloween to explain the holiday to each other, they just wore costumes.
The association will host a Halloween party at Last Call, 729 New Hampshire St., tonight at 9:30. This year, Araoz said, the association was going universitywide with the party to get a bigger mix.
Araoz said Halloween, like
"I was surprised by these people. They all wear costumes."
Kengo Terada
Lawrence sophomore
many other holidays celebrated in America, had been catching on in Bolivia.
"We imitate these kinds of holidays. I think some people will argue it's not good because it's not from our culture, and we should be celebrating our culture," Araoz said, "but most of the people who celebrate Halloween are young or 15 to 20."
It's the pop culture holiday that they celebrate, Arazo said.
And it was that which Jomana Qaddour, Overland Park sophomore, said she would celebrate in grade school.
Qaddour was born in Syria but moved to the United States before she began elementary school. Although she dressed up occasionally for Halloween parties, her family didn't celebrate it.
"Halloween isn't part of the Arab cultures." Qadddour said.
The origin of Halloween is disputed by scholare
Anthony Aveni, Colgate University professor of anthropology and astronomy, wrote The Book of the Year: a Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays.
Aveni recently told United Press International that Halloween's history dated back to Babylonian times.
Aveni said the holiday, celebrated between the fall equinox and winter solstice, revolved around a belief that the spirits of the dead roamed the earth looking for warmth.
He said that the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico most reflected the original holiday.
He wrote that the celebration, was part of the Celtic celebration, Samhain, the feast of the dead.
Rowan Moonstone, author of The Origins of Halloween, has another origin of Halloween.
While there is no clear origin, Terada said he has embraced the tradition this year.
His costume will be sexy, Terada said.
— Edited by Jonathan Reeder
Group requests review
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A private group requested an expanded ethics probe Wednesday of Sen. Ted Stevens for his legislative assistance to Boeing on the grounds that the senator's wife works for a law firm that represents the aviation company.
Catherine Ann Stevens joined the law firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw early in 2001 shortly before the senator publicly began supporting the Air Force's proposal to lease Boeing 767s.
Earlier this week, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Stevens for accepting $21,900 in campaign donations from Boeing shortly before he inserted a provision in a bill to allow the Air Force to lease Boeing 767s. The deal would have been worth more than $20 billion. At the time, Stevens was the ranking minority member on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The watchdog group is now adding the information about Mrs. Stevens to its complaint.
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