For Immediate Release
December 11, 2007

BUFFALO, NY – Sharing our good health is a wonderful expression of gratitude this holiday season.  Consider giving the gift of life to a Roswell Park cancer patient.  Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) has an ongoing need for blood and blood platelets. Cancer patients require blood platelet donations almost every day as part of their care. RPCI is seeking blood donors willing to take the time to donate blood platelets to meet an ever-increasing need.

Platelets are the blood cells in your body that help stop bleeding. Treatments such as chemotherapy and blood and marrow transplantation leave patients with dangerously low levels of platelets. Without platelets and the donors who give them, patients are at increased risk of bleeding even before they can benefit from their treatments. To have a chance at life, platelet transfusions are necessary for a patient’s healthy recovery.

A donation of platelets, called plateletpheresis, is similar to donating whole blood. The simple, safe process takes approximately 90 minutes. Blood is removed from the donor and passed through a machine that separates and collects the platelets. The donor’s body quickly replaces the removed platelets.

The RPCI Donor Center is open six days per week with flexible daily hours of operation. To donate, you must be at least 17 years of age and weigh at least 110 pounds.

By making a commitment to be a donor, you are helping Roswell Park meet the daily needs of its cancer patients. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 716-845-8275 or visit our website at www.roswellpark.org/donorcenter.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. For more information, visit the RPCI website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.