Source: Tulsa World, Okla.迷你倉Dec. 29--Lantzey Rutledge-Keith's 23rd birthday was both familiar and not. It had the usual party fare -- balloons, a cake, and family and friends.But the surroundings, while familiar to her, were not the typical birthday party site. The cake and balloons sat at a nearby table while Rutledge-Keith lounged in a chair at the Darwin Eaton Blood Donor Center in the American Red Cross Center at 10151 E. 11th St.The center was named after a Tulsa man who died in 2011, when he was just 2 pints shy of having donated 42 gallons of blood over the years. To put that number into perspective, the average man has slightly more than 1 gallon of blood in his body.To put Rutledge-Keith's donations into context -- she has come to the center just about every possible chance in the last five years -- is a different story altogether.She began donating while her brother Paul Rutledge was going through treatment for melanoma. During that time, Rutledge-Keith and her mother, Cindy Rutledge, were asked to donate blood and platelets for Paul as he was undergoing chemotherapy.Paul eventually died, yet he lived on through his family, who continued donating blood. On Saturday, Rutledge-Keith and a number of friends and family members all donated.The group included her husband, Casey Keith, a friend of Paul's whom she met during a hospital visit."Many people who begin donating blood start with a story like that," American Red Cross Communications Manager Jan Hale said. "They'll say that they never thought to do it or that no one ever asked, and then they realize how important it is."Hale said donors can start giving at age 16 as long as they have a parent's permission -- or at age 17 on their own.There are certain health standards, and the donor must weigh at least 110 pounds.Donations can be made every 56 days. Hale recommends that first-time donors make an appointment because the initial donation cmini storagen take a couple of hours.After that, it's relatively quick and painless, and it's a process that Rutledge-Keith sees herself continuing."It's in memory of my brother, and it's something we do to help out people who need it," she said. "We'll keep coming as long as we can."Hale said statistics show that someone in the United States needs blood every two minutes."Our donations suffer at this point in the year, with everyone being so busy," she said. "But that number doesn't change. The need for blood never changes."Keith said he's given blood about 30 times in the years since Paul's death.He added that he's seen the statistics and knows people are in need of a substance that many people take for granted."To give blood, it just takes about 30 minutes," Keith said. "Just 30 minutes to save a life. That's a worthy cause."It's always worth it to give someone life for just a few minutes of your time. How could you say no?"Dylan Goforth 918-581-8451dylan.goforth@tulsaworld.comTo donateThe American Red Cross recommends that first-time donors make an appointment to ensure that their visit doesn't take more than a couple of hours.Donors must:1. Be at least 16, at which age they must have a parent's permission, or 17 without the parental permission requirement.2. Weigh at least 110 pounds.3. Have not donated blood within the last 56 days.American Red CrossThose interested in donating can call 800-733-2767 to set up an appointment or go online to redcrossblood.org/make-donation to look for an upcoming donation event in their area.Oklahoma Blood InstituteThose interested in donating can call the Tulsa donor center at 918-477-0400 or 888-584-7557 or visit obi.org/blood-donation to learn more about the process and schedule an appointment.Walk-ins are also welcome.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage
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