A Little Effort Goes a Long Way When It Comes to Blood Donation

By Alyssa Frank • October 20, 2017

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Allison Stellmaker-Knott, Education Associate for Mayo Medical Laboratories, has been a dedicated blood donor since her new employee orientation more than 10 years ago. Allison's parents were active blood donors, but it wasn’t until she began her career at Mayo Clinic that she realized the importance of giving blood.

“Donating blood requires little effort on my part,” says Stellmaker-Knott. “But it has such a large impact on our community, our patients, and can help so many people.”

In Response to Tragedy
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Las Vegas, blood donation has become even more critical within our community and those across the country. Even though the blood donated at the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center is used exclusively for Mayo patients and cannot be transported to Nevada, donating blood in Rochester indirectly helps victims of tragedy. The more donations collected at the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center, the less blood product that the staff needs to acquire from the American Red Cross (ARC). As a result, the ARC has a larger supply of blood available for those in greatest need.

“With the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, the importance of blood donors has become even more evident,” says Stellmaker-Knott. “I give blood because I would want blood to be available for my loved ones in times of need. We can really make a difference with just one selfless act of donating blood.”

How to Donate
For more information about donating blood in Olmsted County in Rochester, Minnesota, call (507) 284-4475 or email donateblood@mayo.edu. For more information about the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center, visit the Blood Donor Center blog, the Blood Donor Center website, and/or like the center on Facebook.

Alyssa Frank

Alyssa Frank is a Marketing Segment Manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She leads marketing strategies for product management and specialty testing. Alyssa has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2015.