Just Your Type - Sharing Experiences of Company Blood Donors Can Inspire Others

Sharing Experiences of Company Blood Donors Can Inspire Others

This story was published to promote blood donation in the HMSA Review, a newsletter for all company employees. Blood donor and recipient stories like this are common in every organization and should be shared to inspire others: (Reprinted courtesy of the HMSA Review)

Nicki Okamura hasn't always been a blood donor. There was a time, she says, “that I never even thought about it.”

HMSA employee Nicki Okamura became a blood donor after her mother needed blood. Okamura (left) is pictured with her daughter, Lauryn, and parents Sandra and Peter Gishitomi.

That was before her dad had open heart surgery. While the procedure was successful, doctors said that it would have been nearly impossible without an adequate supply of blood.

A few years later, Nicki's mom needed surgery to remove a growth from her ovaries. “She was anemic, and had been losing a lot of blood,” says Nicki. “She was so pale and sickly, but after a transfusion, she was pink and healthy.”

Sometime after her mom's surgery, Nicki donated blood for the first time. “I was so scared, I think I cried.”

That was 10 years ago, and Nicki has been a regular donor ever since. Quite a feat for someone who says she's “deathly afraid” of needles.

Giving blood is now routine, and all Nicki worries about is making sure her iron count is high enough. Having a purpose, which is to give back for her parents, makes it easier for Nicki to donate. “Just remember the good that will come out of it,” she says.
“If I can do it, anybody can.”