Donating blood products is a family affair

By Victor ShermerSeptember 11, 2018

Donating blood products is a family affair
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

By Victor Shermer

Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Pacific Northwest

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- On Aug. 30, two repeat donors came to donate platelets as they always do, every two weeks, at the Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Pacific Northwest at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The husband and wife team of Aaron Boone and Denise Haigh-Boone, are regular donors with the ASBBC-PNW. Denise started donating whole blood in 2010, however, when she heard her supervisor was going to the ASBBC-PNW to donate platelets, she changed over to donating platelets.

Denise always tried to donate blood whenever she could, starting back in her early days in the Air Force. She would move on and join the Washington Air National Guard completing her military career of more than 22 years at the Western Air Defense Sector on McChord Field. There she would meet her now husband, and because her actions spoke louder than words, he would transition from whole blood donations to platelets, too.

Now that Denise is retired, she donates not only her platelets but also her time to other good causes. She reached her 100th platelet donation near a year ago, and she is now going for her next milestone, which is another 50 donations away.

Aaron has donated more than two gallons of whole blood since 1998 while serving full time in the Washington Air National Guard. He later started donating blood platelets at the urging of Denise. He has donated more than 80 units of blood platelets, more than nine gallons, since 2014.

He retired from the Washington Air National Guard in 2016, but he still continues to donate in his federal civilian capacity every two weeks to the ASBBC-PNW.

Aaron said he is able to donate blood platelets up to 24 times a year compared to only six times a year for whole blood donation.

The daughter of the Boones' occasionally accompanies one of them during the summer months, when schools out, when they donate. Seraphyna Boone still has three more years to go before she can start donating, but she proudly wears T-shirts that her parents have received for donating.

Blood platelets only have a shelf life of five days and are especially needed during trauma or major surgery because platelets help form clots to stop heavy bleeding.

It is very important for the Boone's to be able to provide life-saving blood platelets.

"I donate through the military because I have been a life-long military person and it is important to me in order to support those people that have put themselves in harm's way in order to protect the rest of us and our livelihood," Aaron said.

The support they provide to the ASBBC-PNW is a family affair.

Anyone age 17 or older with access to JBLM -- and who meets donor requirements, a list of which is available at the center -- can donate blood and blood products at the ASBBC-PNW. The center is located at the Madigan Annex, Bldg. 9904 on East Johnson St., on Lewis Main weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 253-968-1850.