SUSAN'S STORY

On September 28, 2006, Susan Conklin-Miller gave her 100th donation to Lane Memorial Blood Bank, although she has given many times at other blood banks.  Each donation she makes is truly heartfelt as she knows only too well what the gift of blood can do for somebody in need.

In 1971, while she and her husband were living in Fort Collins, Colorado, Susan became pregnant.  This was exciting for the couple, but a nerve-wracking time as she had suffered numerous miscarriages.  At the beginning, everything seemed to be going well with this pregnancy but then, still early on, she started passing blood.  Doctors diagnosed a placenta previa (where the placenta is lying low in the uterus, next to or covering the cervix) and prescribed complete bed rest.  All throughout her 5 months in the hospital, she lost large amounts of blood, requiring many transfusions to keep her and her fetus alive.  At one point, she exhausted the hospital’s supply of her blood type and a unit had to be rushed in from another blood bank.

As she and her husband were so anxious to have a child, Susan was willing to undergo all the medical treatment, hospital stay and life-threatening blood loss in an attempt to save the baby.  At 8-1/2 months, doctors decided to perform a Cesarean section but, sadly, the baby did not survive.  Meanwhile, Susan contracted an infection and had to remain hospitalized, continuing to receive transfusions.

After a couple of years, when she had finally regained her health, Susan knew she wanted to help others.  As she has A negative, CMV negative blood that can be given to infants, she understood that she could help other mothers and babies.  She started donating wherever she and her husband lived, as they moved around through his military career.  After moving to Springfield, Oregon in 1980, she found Lane Memorial Blood Bank when the bloodmobile came to Montgomery Ward where she was working.