Hi-Line Living: GIving a part of yourself

Frank McLain was first in line at the American Red Cross blood draw at St. Jude Parish Center Monday.

He's been giving blood for years and is on the Red Cross list for likely donors.

It's a privilege to give blood, he said. He's happy to know that somebody he doesn't know will benefit from his donation.

One time in particular, he said, giving blood was a special honor.

He received a 3 a.m. call one day from the emergency room at Northern Montana Hospital.

A young Hutterite boy, he was told, had been run over by a farm vehicle. The hospital had used its entire supply of the boy's blood type. Would McLain come in right now and donate more blood? The boy's life was in danger.

McLain was soon in the emergency room donating blood.

"You should have seen it," he said. "The other Hutterites came over to me. They were thanking me, shaking my hand, hugging me."

Since that day, he has gotten a warm feeling every time he's given blood.

He started donating in 1956 when he was stationed in San Diego for the Navy.

"They told us to give blood, and we gave blood," he said.

Now he donates, he said with a laugh, without being ordered.

Lois Kuhn sits at the front desk greeting every person as they enter the parish hall.

Many years ago, she had a similar incident.

She was on the Red Cross list for potential donors and got a similar call in the middle of the night, summoning her to the old Sacred Heart Hospital. A set of twins had just been born, and they needed blood transfusions to stay alive.

She was at the hospital in a few minutes, donated blood and was instrumental in keeping the twins from dying.

The king of blood donors on the H-Line - and maybe in Montana - is Leroy Keller, who has contributed 35.5 gallons since he started in 1956. He's a regular at the local blood drives.

Younger people are starting the same trend.

T. J. Daulton, who happens to be president of the Montana Jaycees, was waiting for his turn. He said he has contributed since he was 18.

"I've missed few, but not very many," he said.

His desire to donate blood is the same thing that prompts him to serve in the Jaycees - community service.

The local blood drive is managed by Dee Bitz, who has been volunteering for nearly 25 years, first in Big Sandy and the last 10 years in Havre.

"It's community service," she said of her work.

Others said family members have benefitted from the blood collected at drives like this.

Kuhn said her daughter in Texas had a stomach operation and had to receive eight blood transfusions.

While the volunteers handle coordinate the blood draws locally, the people who do the hands-on work are the Red Cross employees who travel with the blood drives.

Charlotte Thompson is part of the Red Cross team, which operates out of Great Falls and makes day-trips when the team has blood collection efforts in nearby towns, such as Lewistown.

When they come up to the Hi-Line, though the team members stay in area hotels.

They spent this week in places from Havre to Harlem.

Despite the big effort, and the continuing need, fewer people have been contributing lately.

Scott Shanahan of the regional Red Cross office in Great Falls said fewer people have been donating in Havre.

The number used to hover near 100, he said, but lately it's been as low as 80.

"Maybe we can turn that around," he said.