Replacing the precious source of life
Blood drive held in honor of college student who needed 6 units for transfusion
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Rachel Odem, 19, appears at a blood drive held in her honor at the Victoria Fire Station 1. The blood drive was held to replace the 6 units of blood Odem used when her body refused a blood transfusion after she broke her back in a May 25 accident.
LOCAL BLOOD DRIVES
Compressor Systems Inc.Monday, July 13; 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.In front parking lot; 11503 US HWY 59 N.
1st Victoria National BankFriday, July 17; Noon - 6:30 p.m.In the town hall meeting room on the Mezzaine; ...
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LOCAL BLOOD DRIVES
Compressor Systems Inc.Monday, July 13; 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.In front parking lot; 11503 US HWY 59 N.
1st Victoria National BankFriday, July 17; Noon - 6:30 p.m.In the town hall meeting room on the Mezzaine; 101 S. Main St.
Zion Lutheran Church - Mission ValleySunday, July 19; 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.Side parking lot; 12183 FM 236
Texas Vocational School - Red River StreetWednesday, July 22; 8:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m.In front parking lot; 1921 E. Red River St.
Texas Vocational School - Welding and BeautyWednesday, July 22; 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.In the school parking lot; 1414 N. Laurent St.
FallasSaturday, July 25; 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.In the parking lot between Fallas and the Card&Party Factory; 5217 N. Navarro St.
Grace Lutheran Church - VictoriaSunday, July 26; 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.In parking lot; 9806 NE Zac Lentz Pkwy.
QUICK STATS
High school and college students supply 13 percent of blood during school blood drives.
One out of every 10 people that enter a hospital need some type of blood transfusion.
Less than 10 percent of the eligible population donate blood.
Source: Monica Mendez, Blood and Tissue Center community relations specialist
Rachel Odem understands the power of donating blood.
On Saturday, Victoria Fire Station No. 1 and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center held a replacement blood drive for the 19-year-old.
In May, the Victoria native fell 10 feet from a rope swing and broke her back when she landed on the jagged rocks rather than the water.
"It was very painful," the Hill College business major said.
Odem had surgery in June because the broken bone was pinching 50 percent of her spinal cord.
The surgery required a blood transfusion, but Odem's body rejected the transfusion at first.
When it finally took, Odem had used nearly six units of blood.
Against medical prognoses, Odem is still able to walk and she said she is grateful for what the firefighters and some in the community have done.
"It takes like five minutes to donate, but for a blood transfusion it took us five days," she said. "It's such a big ordeal that I don't think people understand how hard it is."
Cody Harryman has been a firefighter for the past four years and donated on Saturday.
"It's just to help her out," the 25-year-old said. "The fire department is like a family. Everyone came together to help her out."
Odem's mother has worked for the station for more than 20 years and Rachel is like a sister to many of them, she said.
"I'm in the business of seeing people losing blood," Donna said. "What was really unique was the firemen members got together and so desperately wanted to do something."
Frequent blood drives and donations help keep the need for blood flowing, said Tracy Sommer, the Victoria center's assistant director.
"Everyday is different," she said. "We're always one day away from a shortage."
Any major accidents can lead to the need for more blood, she said.
The main blood center needs to supply 600 units to its 43 counties.
For now, the blood supply is adequate, meaning there is enough for a three-day supply, she said.
"Summer time is one of our hardest times of the year," she said. "We're very lucky right now that we have enough blood for our hospitals' needs."
The center's Save our Summer promotion has helped increase blood donations and has kept the supply adequate for the past two summers, she said.
The promotion gives $20 H-E-B gift cards to those who donated twice during the summer period.
It will take anywhere from six months to a year for Odem to be almost fully recovered.
Odem plays an active part in the Hillsboro Rodeo Team and said one of the hardest things to let go is not getting on a horse for a while.
"Life right now is a very curvy recovery road. I think almost to the end," she said. "God has another plan for me."
