ADVISORY/American Red Cross: The Power of Giving -- A Tribute to the Area's Super Blood Donors -- Pheresis Donors.

Assignment Editors

ADVISORY... for Thursday (June 8)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

WHAT: The Power of Giving -- A Tribute to the Area's Super Blood
    Donors -- Pheresis Donors

WHY: It takes a very special person to drop his or her plans on 24
    hours or less notice in order to spend 2 1/2 hours with needles in
    both arms donating infection-fighting white blood cells or
    platelets to keep a total stranger alive. Few people realize these
    donors even exist --- except the cancer patients they help. This
    event is designed to recognize these super blood donors and
    recruit new donors through community awareness.

WHO: Geralyn Meny, MD, Medical Director
      Stanley C. Roberts, Executive Director, American Red Cross
      Six Top Donors Who Have Given 220+ Donations
      Christine Adams, Blood Recipient
      A Father and Son on Giving and Receiving Blood
      The Outstanding Pheresis Donor of the Year
          This Upper Darby resident saves lives through Pheresis
        donation, and she used CPR to save a life recently!
      Corporate Achievement Award Presented to Merck & Co. Inc.
      Top Donor Gave 267 Times

WHEN: Thursday, June 8, 2000, 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

WHERE: American Red Cross Blood Services
      700 Spring Garden Street
      Philadelphia, PA 19123    (Enter at Eighth Street)

DETAILS: Patient care depends not only on whole blood donations, but
    also on specially- matched blood platelets or infection-fighting
    white cells donated by a process called pheresis.
      It takes an extraordinary commitment to be a pheresis donor. The
    donation time may be anywhere from an hour to 2 1/2 hours,
    compared to ten minutes for a whole blood donation. The special
    equipment used sometimes means a donor has needles in both arms
    instead of just one. Donors may be asked to give with less than 24
    hours notice. Yet, pheresis is a safe and painless process with a
    special payoff: As one donor put it, "Knowing that a young girl
    needed my blood cells just to live another day is an almost
    overwhelming feeling."

      More pheresis donors are needed to support all local patient
needs. If you are a blood donor already, step up to the bat! Call
800/GIVE LIFE for information.