Two Big Reasons Inspire Longtime Blood Drive Champ
Lulu DeGracia, certified phlebotomy tech at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital since 2007, is one of NorthBay Health’s longtime blood drive champions for two very good reasons.
The first is her daughter, Jacqueline, who acquired Kawasaki syndrome when she was 2. She required five treatments of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVig) to recover. It takes 1,000 units of donated blood to make just one treatment. Today she’s a healthy 7-year-old.
The second is her mother, Lisha O’Neill Zuniga, who was diagnosed in 2010 with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Chemotheraphy sent the cancer into remission twice, but in 2015, it came back. After surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, she developed leukemia. Her body couldn’t reproduce red blood cells or platelets, so she needed transfusions — often.
“Mom was trying to fight to continue to have precious time with her family,” said Lulu. “Finally she had to be hospitalized more frequently because her platelets were critically low.”
As blood drive champion, Lulu wants donors to know that they can choose to donate platelets. It takes longer — up to two hours — but it just might give a family a little extra time with a loved one.
“Someone else’s generous donation gave me an extra year with my mom. So if I can do that for someone else and pay it forward, I will,” she said.
NorthBay’s blood drive will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 26 in the conference facility at the VacaValley Wellness Center, 1020 Nut Tree Road. Enter through the HealthSpring Fitness lobby.
Donors are encouraged to book an appointment in advance online. Visit www.bloodsource.org/drives and enter location code H101.
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