Behind the Badge
Sgt. Jorge Chavez, a 17-year member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, recently was diagnosed with leukemia and has been receiving platelets daily from City of Hope in Duarte.
Because the shelf life of platelets is short, Chavez will need platelet donations over the next several months.
Anyone wanting to donate platelets should send an e-mail to rarobbin@lasd.org or nrdavis@lasd.org.
Platelet donors do not need to have the same blood type as the recipient.
The platelet donation takes about two hours, and donors should not take aspirin or products containing aspirin for 48 hours prior to donating.
Any woman who has ever been pregnant will need to have a TRALI test to make sure she is qualified to be a donor. When a woman is pregnant, she may produce antibodies that can be harmful to the recipient.
Those donating platelets also may be general blood donors, which helps to replenish the blood and platelet bank for all patients.
Chavez also will need a bone marrow transplant.
There is a certain criteria for marrow donation. Donors must be between the ages of 18-44, be willing to help any patient in need, and be in general good health.
Swab kits can be mailed to you. For more, information, click here.
The Cerritos Sheriff’s Station is hosting a barbecue fundraiser for Chavez from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 12. The cost is $10 and includes a tri-tip sandwich, coleslaw, chips, beans and a beverage. For more information, contact Leslie Gutierrez at 562-467-6820 or Shelly Pierce at 562-467-6821.
