IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

[eris]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

Talked to Barkode today.

He was commenting on how amazing the hacker community is and how it really comes together in hard times. He's not used to being on the receiving end of everything, but he appreciates it greatly.

Thank you everyone for helping!

I was really happy to read the latest update and learn that the masses in his lungs are not cancerous! Here's to keeping the good news rolling! Thanks for checking in!

[falconred]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

Talked to Barkode today.

He was commenting on how amazing the hacker community is and how it really comes together in hard times. He's not used to being on the receiving end of everything, but he appreciates it greatly.

Thank you everyone for helping!

[eris]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

i am in Chicago this weekend, and some of my friends are considering a trip to a brew pub nearby, across the border in Indiana. i'd love to open that event up to all takers, whomever is local and wants to participate... the stipulation being that we all go donate blood under BK's name beforehand. it's literally win-win-win.

. (@deviantollam) i'll likely try to rally a similar event when i get back to Philadelphia.
but i am serious about the Philadelphia option. I may even start an additional thread about that or some such. Please tweet at me or text me if i am wrong about donating in Chicago this weekend, btw!]

Retweeted.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

i am in Chicago this weekend, and some of my friends are considering a trip to a brew pub nearby, across the border in Indiana. i'd love to open that event up to all takers, whomever is local and wants to participate... the stipulation being that we all go donate blood under BK's name beforehand. it's literally win-win-win.

right now i am researching donation places that may be open on Saturday or Satuday. i'll likely also tweet about this. (@deviantollam) i know it's short notice, but i'd like to see what we can make happen if anyone responds to me. i'll likely try to rally a similar event when i get back to Philadelphia.

[EDIT: Fack me, it seems that blood drives aren't the happening place to be on weekends. Looks like my Chicago plan may be a bust with such short planning... but i am serious about the Philadelphia option. I may even start an additional thread about that or some such. Please tweet at me or text me if i am wrong about donating in Chicago this weekend, btw!]

[Dark Tangent]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

I love this community!

[eris]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

Well I registered for Be The Match and made a directed blood donation to him at the Kaiser in LA. If there's a better way to help I'm all ears.

Nothing else has been requested, so far, that any of us know about yet. Fantastic going all the way, Tenlow!

[Tenlow]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

Well I registered for Be The Match and made a directed blood donation to him at the Kaiser in LA. If there's a better way to help I'm all ears.

[HighWiz]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

does Be The Match have outdated lifestyle rules and regs like Red Cross does for blood donation?

Yea.. But http://www.crir.org/ , let's me & my peeps register through them, so it's all good.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

those who can't register (ineligible)

does Be The Match have outdated lifestyle rules and regs like Red Cross does for blood donation?

[eris]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

Excellent point, High Wiz.

Here is a comment from another site regarding the issue people are having with giving blood at Red Cross agencies in some places.

"So I made a lot of calls and finally got the correct answer. Kaiser will not purchase blood from others (eg RedCross), so only blood donated at a KP Blood Center will be tagged for him to replenish blood stocks in his name. In CA, there are... only 4 blood centers; WoodLand Hills, LA, Downey and San Diego. NONE in the Nor-Cal/Bay Area. This is sad news :( They do still encourage people to give blood however they can as it replenishes the overall national stock at hand."

[HighWiz]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

For those who can't register (ineligible) through Be the Match (National Bone Marrow), you can check out Private Orgs like http://www.crir.org/ .

[Kingpin]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

FWIW, some information if you live in Northern California...

The Blood Centers of the Pacific (http://www.bloodcenters.org) handle the blood banking and special donations for the Bay Area. I called the local Kaiser Permanente facility who pointed me to them.

I'm in San Francisco and talked to Patricia of the Special Donation Department (800-215-6225). They're open M-F 8:30am-5pm. She stated that they can either handle general donations or "designated donations," which is blood to be used directly for the patient and requires a letter from the doctor and a matching blood type. They don't seem to support "replacement" or "credit donations" anymore. I don't know my blood type, but I'll find out when I do a general donation!

When calling a hospital to inquire about blood donations, try asking the general operator for the "Laboratory Blood Bank" That should get you to someone who at least knows about blood instead of having to deal with voicemail hell.

Joe

[eris]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

After talking to a couple of people it seems the best way to get a blood donation directly donated as replacement blood FOR MATT is to donate blood at a KAISER PERMANENTE donation location. They put his name, and a barcode, on the bag of blood then and there. I did a google search for "kaiser permanente blood donor center" and discovered specific locations in San Diego and LA. Better late then never information I guess.

[eris]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

I talked to the special services director of United Blood Services Central Coast, the blood donations agency for San Luis Obispo county (as well as Ventura and Monterey counties). They don't do directed replacement donations, she cited cost of shipping the blood as the reason. They will still take normal volunteer donations and send a card out to someone to say blood was donated on their behalf, the blood goes into the normal donor pool (so to speak).
If you're in contact with Barkode, let him know the Halibut Stuff crew is wishing him the best and getting test kits ordered up from marrow.org.

Anch, thanks for the detailed info about donating.

Smitty, by registering last year you are "in the pool" in the sense that the registry is checked whenever someone needs marrow and if you match you are contacted.

Falconred, I wish I could do more but I'm half way around the world. Thanks for checking in and letting us know where to go for updated.

Tacitusl, thanks for that link.

[Tacitus]

Re: IMPORTANT: ‘VGR’ Creator Matt Lewis Needs Our Help

It seems people close to him are going to keep

http://barkodestatus.tumblr.com/

Up to date regarding his status.

This is hard info to talk about once, let alone multiple times. one central place for info makes it easier than repeating it lots of times to people