Robin Huffman, a Red Cross Blood Program Leader, has a history with blood donation.
“I know firsthand how important it is to have a good blood supply,” said Robin.
In 1996, Robin experienced internal bleeding after surgery. She remembers nurses coming into her hospital room, checking her blood pressure, and calling a code blue. Robin received two units of blood to help stabilize her and says she’s grateful there was blood on the shelves to help save her life.
For the past few years, Robin has served as the Blood Program Leader at Farmland Friends Church in Farmland, Indiana, where her husband Keith is lead pastor. She organizes community blood drives at the Church, welcomes and registers donors, and helps calm those who may be nervous to donate for the first time. For Robin, donating blood and organizing drives is a spiritual experience.
“When Jesus died on the cross, he shed his blood so people could have eternal life,” said Robin. “In a small way, when we give blood, we’re allowing other people to have life.”
There are typically two blood drives at Farmland Friends Church each year, one in January after the holidays, and another in July, which is typically a critical time for blood donations.
This January, Robin was recovering from a cold, feeling tired, and almost didn’t donate during the Farmland Friends blood drive. But on the day of the drive, she was feeling better and decided to give blood. However, during the mini-health assessment completed before a donation, Robin discovered her hemoglobin was low and she would be unable to donate.
“Because of that, I thought, ‘I better go to the doctor and figure out what’s causing this,” said Robin.
After appointments and tests, Robin scheduled a colonoscopy. During the procedure, her surgeon found a tumor and biopsied it, but was unable to remove it, as it had attached to her bowel wall. Robin later underwent an additional surgery to remove the tumor, her appendix, 22 lymph nodes, and the ileocecal junction, where the small intestine and colon meet. This time, doctors were able to completely remove the tumor and only one of the 22 lymph nodes was found to be cancerous.
“I feel like that blood drive and that attempt to give blood saved my life for a second time,” said Robin.
Robin says patients typically aren’t diagnosed with this type of cancer until later stages, and because her cancer was caught early, doctors have given her a positive prognosis. Prior to her diagnosis, Robin says she was mostly asymptomatic, and without the mini-health assessment given to blood donors, she likely wouldn’t have discovered her hemoglobin was low until later. She’s thankful her attempt to donate blood helped discover what was going on with her health.
Robin will start chemotherapy this summer, but for now, she’s focusing on her family, friends, and spending time with her grandchildren. She encourages people to donate blood, which can help save a life, and says she knows how important it can be.
“I’ll be deferred during my treatment, but when I’m healthy, I hope to donate blood again,” said Robin.
Written by Janie Bohlmann, regional communications manager.