SuNDay BLooDy SuNDay, PaRT VIII FiNaL

Happy Sunday Everyone! Let's get straight to the task at hand!

Good Sunday Morning Peeps! And here we are, it's been EIGHT WEEKS of Manic Mommy donations and it's the final Sunday Bloody Sunday posting and why not start it off with a Feisty Irish Wench!

Trish is not only a universal donor, meaning EVERYONE can have her blood, she is also an alum to Manic Mommy's blood drive, although one year she was unable to donate because she "fell" pregnant (I hate that phrase!), with her FOURTH child! But now, she's back to donating and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for her selfless gift. Plus, after this donation, she got pizza AND a nap. Sounds pretty good, yeah? Thank you, my Feisty Irish Wench! And how can you NOT love a girl with a name like THAT? Go check out her blog and thank her for SAVING THREE LIVES!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And here we have Mike, from California, who I met through a writer friend via Twitter and Facebook, who says it simple and true: "Finally dragged my ass in to do it...sorry for the delay, wuz about to go three weeks ago and I got the flu and had to take antibiotics... Anyway....thanks for inspiring me...I used to go all the time and then it fell off my priority list...they told me today it had been since 1998!!!! Holy cow... I'm back to giving!!"

Hey Mike! Thanks so much for going back and giving! You can bet you'll be reminded now EVERY EIGHT WEEKS cuz those vampires at the blood bank will be calling you all of the time now! Isn't it a great feeling to give! Keep it up, and glad you're feeling better too! And how on earth did our friend Jenna NOT know I was holding THIS blood drive for the past TWO MONTHS?!?! She says she's going to go donate on Monday! To anyone reading this, if you donate Monday, I will STILL qualify you for the contest if you get me a photo on Monday!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Next up is Brenda from St. Louis who is working on her SEVENTH GALLON of BLOOD (she's been keeping track since 1985 when she got married but donated before many times in college but didn't keep track then!). Brenda and her husband were in the Army for over 20 years and just retired ... CONGRATULATIONS BRENDA AND HUBBY! She says they gave blood everywhere they were stationed and their three children who are old enough to donate do too. Their youngest is 11, but plans to donate when she is old enough. I LOVE that Brenda! I tell my three kids ALL OF THE TIME that when they turn 16, I am taking them each to get their driver's license and then right after that, THEY will drive me to the blood center where we will donate blood together on that day! (In fact I told them that TODAY when they were with me as I donated.) I agree when Brenda says, "I think everyone who is eligible should try and donate." Amen Sister! And thank you and your family for being such advocates and for all the donations you have made! And you look GREAT doing it! (Love that you are wearing RED!)

Also, thanks Brenda for finding me on my friend Dawn's blog!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Up next is my pal Kristabella, who has been Full of Snark since 1977! She is also an alum Manic Mommy donor and a former blogger blind date of mine! Cabbies all over Chicago adore her and bartenders fear her! Check out her blog to learn more about what makes Kristabella "One cat shy of Crazy Cat Lady" and when you do, thank her for saving THREE lives with her beautiful pint of blood!

Speaking of Crazy Cat Lady, her kitty got into the festivities too -- Here's Simba, supporting the cause!

Thanks Kristin, for the awesomeness that is you and for your blood!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

 
 Everyone say hi to Alum donor Michelle! This is Michelle's third year donating, and FINALLY, FINALLY, they decide they will let her have her photo taken IN THE CHAIR! For some reason, the people at her location didn't approve of photos there, but today, they said YES! And lucky thing too, because doesn't Michelle look glorious! She's had a rough go of it too; as a regular 8-week donor, when the Manic Mommy drive came about, Michelle was all set to donate in January, but when she went, her iron was low. Flu season crept in, work schedules and travel got in the way, and knowing this was the last week of the drive, she kicked the iron into gear and went in today ready to go! Her iron: 14.8. She was good to go and I am so happy to have her on the books! You can congratulate her yourself over at her blog, Honest & Truly. And yes, if you must, you can even yell at her for not being happy about having to eat a Snickers bar so early in the morning. But thank her for saving lives first, will ya?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Last but NOT least, we've got my pal Carlos. Did I ever tell you about Carlos? Well, Carlos is my buddy from high school so I've known him forever. We were buds. This is how much of a buddy we were. Yes, Carlos, I'm telling THAT story. So, I'm a junior in high school and I was only allowed to shave my legs just past my knees, DON'T ASK ME WHY. Also, don't ask me why I obeyed my mother's dumb rule. So, at a basketball game in high school, I'm sitting next to Carlos and he goes, "Steph, you got more hair on your legs than I do!" So, after that game I went home and shaved my legs ALL THE WAY UP TO KINGDOM COME and probably told my mom that it was so stupid that she said I could only shave just past my knee, and thank God for Carlos to tell it to me straight cuz I was so embarrassed my whole life walking around with those hairy upper thighs. THEY WERE HAIRY!

But, that's not the point of this post. The point is that Carlos is just THAT good of a friend. He will tell you what you need to hear without hurting your feelings. And 24 years later, he's still that good of a friend. He makes a promise; he keeps it. He told me he would donate blood, he was there. He also told me early in the blood drive that he would donate some money toward prizes, and as he promised, he gave me that money today. So THANK YOU my Friend Carlos! You are the best! Because of Carlos, I can give away some more fun prizes!

Our little guys, shown in the picture below (Jason, next to Carlos; and my Tukey, making a face behind Carlos) played against each other in basketball Saturday morning. Not saying who won! Afterwards, we all went to the Heartland Blood Center and donated blood.

Our kids ate about 16 bags of chips, a case of pop, and 42 packs of brownies while we were donating, and Carlos donated first. He was bragging it up about how fast he was bleeding and when he was done, he said he finished in at 5 minutes and 33 seconds. I was like, "Wow, that's good. There's no way I'll beat that." But yeah, I like a challenge right? So, when I got stabbed, my wonderful phlemotogmotogist (I like to spell it THAT way!) said I was going pretty fast. So I told Carlos, "Wait, I might beat you." And so, the race was on! Of course, we did have to stop to pose for a picture. Here are my darling children hamming it up behind me as I "speed-bleed."

And when I was done, my time was checked, and Boo-Yeah! Timed in at 5 minutes and 25 seconds! I beat you Carlos! But actually, we BOTH won because we ROCKED at saving lives today! All of us here did, so pat yourselves on the back and congratulations for jobs well done!

When I was done donating, my needle-sticker-lady asked me how I was feeling. I told her I was feeling "Euphoric" because I truly was. That's really the feeling I get after I donate blood. It's just an amazing feeling coming away from doing something so good and so pure, to know that this is a gift I give freely of myself, and that it saves lives. That's all it does - IT.SAVES.LIVES. It can't be any more simple or more clear than that.

Just amazing.

And doing this drive is amazing. I connect with wonderful people. I hope I inspire some people to continue to donate every eight weeks. I will be sharing info in the coming days/week about the prize drawing. Every one of you (aside from family and my neighbors) will be entered to win the grand prize, which is a Southwest Airline ticket, and other prizes such as Target gift cards, Starbucks and a great Suave Beauty Basket. And it's all because of the generous donation of the selfless gift of your blood.

It might be too late to get in on the prizes, but it's NEVER too late to start donating blood. You'll be amazed at how it might change your life. This is the third year I've hosted this Virtual Blog for Blood Drive and it gives me a great sense of joy when I click on my email and get a photo of one of you sitting in that chair. Take a look back at the photos from each Sunday where the donors have been featured... Every single person has a brilliant smile.

Why?

Because they are saving lives.

What could be more amazing than that?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Thank you all. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. And those families who will never know you personally, whose lives you have saved, you have to know they would thank you too, if they knew who you were. So thank yourselves, for an amazing job.

And don't forget, when your eight weeks is up, give again!

P.S. Check out next post to see if my lucky numbers paid off!

SuNDay BLooDy SuNDay, PaRT VI, FeB. 14

Here are my Valentine presents! Up first is Tanya! Isn't she ADORABLE!? She is an alum donor of the MaNiC MoMMy Blood Drive and I was so excited to see her smiling beautiful face again! Thanks Tanya for sharing your gift of blood to those who need it again for this great cause!

And here's Paula, who I just discovered her donation sent in on Twitter! She snuck in! What's with these beauties and their blood! I'm loving it! Thank you ladies for your generous donations!

Now, what's stopping YOU from donating a pint of blood this month? We've only got two weeks left of the blood drive and some great prizes to give away:

Grand Prize: Southwest Airline Ticket

Suave Beauty Basket

Starbucks Gift Card

Target Gift Card

The country really needs your donation, and I love to see your smiling faces on my blog! For all the details on how you can enter, check out this blog post here: GotBlood?

Please consider donating blood. You've got two weeks. If you're not sure where to donate, RedCross has all the info you need.

Thanks!

SuNDay BLooDy SuNDay, PaRT V, FeB. 7

Well, awesome readers and aweome donors, I had been down and out about the response from my blood drive but I discovered my emails were not coming to my main email address and some of these entries were NOT getting to me. So I'm very happy to report that I have a bunch of great donors to highlight today!

First up, we have Patricia, who can tell us all how desperately your blood is needed Her story is great:

I gave blood today!! Lots and lots of blood.

Thought you might like to here the other side of giving blood. I work in Cardiac Surgery and today my day started with a call to the blood bank ordering blood for my patients that would be having open heart surgery.

My first patient needed 8 bags of platelets. Our hospital only had 7 (for the whole hospital!) This happens on a daily basis. We had to get an emergency shipment and when I left last night there were no more platelets in the hospital and none to be found. The need for blood donors is huge!

Here's what I gave today (TO ONE PATIENT!)~

8- units of blood; 12- 6 packs of platelets; 6 -fresh frozen plasma; 4- cryoprecipitate

That was in addition to the cell saver blood we gave back (patients own blood). This was all for one person over the 9 hours they were in the OR. This patient would also be getting blood and blood products through the night while in ICU. This happens on a regular basis. There is never enough blood. Thanks for encouraging others to donate. YOU ROCK!!

 
So guys, can you believe ALL THAT BLOOD IS NEEDED FOR ONE PERSON!?!? Crazy shit, isn't it? Thanks Patricia for giving us all a little insight on what really goes on behind the scenes. And thank you for being a blood goddess, deliverer of the goods, and for taking care of the patients! Love this story!

****************
Next up, we have Michelle B, of Cary, NC who is an alum Manic Mommy blood donor and here's her story. Michele donates platelets every Friday, or tries to when she's feeling well, and she says the hardest part is making sure your iron is up high enough! :

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It's super easy to donate! Passing the iron test is the hardest part, and wiggling my fingers before they take the blood seems to have fixed my problem! Stupid poor circulation! After that, you just sit in one of these awesome chairs and wait for two hours! As you can see with the guy behind me, that screen pulls down in front of you and you can watch a movie, if you'd like. I usually have a book on my iPod, and I'll listen to that, instead. This Friday, I actually just listened to music for the whole time :)

So! Yes! Super easy, super fun, and you can totally eat snack cakes guilt free at the end! :)

You can read Michelle's full post over at Naiadkitty. Thanks so much Michelle! You are a wonderful person!

****************
Next up, we have Holly from Ohio! Here's her story:

Hi! my name is Holly S.

I am glad you are having the virtual blood drive again this year! I told the nurses about it today! I am a VIP donor with the Red Cross which means I pledge to give blood 6 times per year! Except when prohibited by pregnancy, a piercing or my job (before I became a Mom),I have been a loyal donor since my first blood drive in high school!


I try to give six times a year to keep my Red Cross VIP status. I started giving blood when my high school sponsored a blood drive my senior year. My chosen occupation kept me from donating for a long time, but now that I am a SAHM, I am back to giving regularly! I hope your virtual blood drive gets lots of new blood donors!

Holly, thanks so much for taking part in this, and for pledging to donate six times a year! I don't need to tell you what an amazing feeling it is to donate blood, or how wonderful it is to know you are saving lives! But from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU! I hope your story and what you do will impact others to go out there and donate too! PS--I LOVE it when donors get the blood workers involved in the photo shoots as well! It's always so much fun!

****************
Anne from NY found out about the MaNiC MoMMy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive through Twitter and I'm so glad that she did! She's got a great story to share on why she's donating!

I am reporter/producer for Parents TV in New York City. In college, I gave blood regularly and have been looking to give again in the years since, but haven’t really gotten to it. When I came across MaNiC MoMMy’S Virtual Blog for Blood Drive Challenge on Twitter, it seemed like the perfect opportunity! Because I am a healthy, active, 26-year-old who is able to donate blood and has done so many times without incident, I feel it is my duty to donate. I have no excuse! There’s no reason for me to pass up such a simple way to save lives.So glad people have been donating!

Anne, it was MY pleasure to have YOU be a part of this! You're an inspiration to the younger generation, although really, I'm not old enough to be your mother or anything like that, I'm just sayin' you could reach a lot of impressionable people! Thanks for donating, and keep up the great work! And you looked beautiful doing so!

****************
And you know what, if you tell a friend, maybe she'll tell a friend too! This is what happened when donor Susan Hines (featured in January 17 blog post) donated in January and told her friend Crystal, from Indiana, about the blood drive. Here's Crystal's story:

Susan told me about your contest and took a picture of me in the blood donation chair, just as I was finishing up. I started donating blood when I was 17 or 18 (whatever the minimum age to donate is), because my grandma had just been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a blood and bone cancer. At the beginning of the disease, her platelet counts plummeted regularly, and blood donations saved her life several times until the cancer treatments stabilized her condition. She lived in Aurora, IL, so the blood I donated never went directly to her, or to replenish supplies in her area, but I figured someone else's grandma needed blood transfusions here in Indy. I got out of the habit of donating in college (no blood drives on campus, and no car to get to the blood bank), but my workplace holds a blood drive every 60 days, and I've been donating regularly for about a year now. So, that's what drives me to donate.

Thank you Crystal! And how amazing that at such a young age, you knew the importance of giving blood to help, even though you knew it wasn't going directly to your grandma, you knew it was out there helping someone, and in turn, that would help her. Good karma, good karma.

****************
And here ... here is the type of story I LOVE! Reagan, from Athens, GA, has been a long-time Manic reader and I consider her a pal. She waited very patiently for a CD I had promised her that she won and it took me like 8 months to send to her. I finally sent it to her after I had heard she and her boyfriend had gotten engaged! (Actually, I sent her two cuz it took me so long!) So what does she go and do? She goes and donates BLOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER ENTIRE LIFE, FOR THE MANIC BLOOD DRIVE! Total awesomeness!

Hi, Manic!

I donated blood for the FIRST TIME EVER yesterday, just for you! I've always had "bad" veins, and have terrible luck at the doctor's office just to get blood drawn for my own tests, so I had never wanted to even try to donate. But this year, it just felt right. My lovely fiance went with me for support, and the staff was awesome, and they got my vein on the first try!!! Unheard of!! Thanks for the inspiration- I'll definitely be donating regularly now!


Sincerely, Reagan B.

****************
And Beth E, from Tennessee, well, let's just say, she's no newcomer to the old needle! This donation brought her up to a GALLON DONOR! How incredible is that, to know that she has been able to save easily at least 24 lives with her own BLOOD! And when you think of it, she has done more than that, because with every life she has saved, she has always healed FAMILIES with her generous donation of blood. In Beth's own words:

I donated on January 18, 2010. This donation made me a gallon donor! It blows my mind that I have potentially saved 24 lives with my blood donations! I donate to save lives. I look at my children and imagine if they ever needed blood and it breaks my heart to know there are people who do need blood and not enough people donate. Like many women, I have to really pay attention a few days before a donation and get my iron up. This time I even ate some raisins, which I don't care for, but my hemoglobin was great! Thanks for raising awareness for the Red Cross and blood donation!

Thank YOU so much Beth, for doing what you do, and here's to another gallon!

****************

Here's another great donor who happens to live very close to me! Maybe we will have a field trip someday to my favorite Heartland Blood Center to donate TWO pints!
Hi ManicMommy,
I have been reading your blog for a long time and I think you are great. This is my first time donating blood since college (eek! 18 years!). I did it because you made it sound so easy and it was! The people were so nice and I was in and out of there fast. When I donated, I found out that I am blood type O- which is a universal donor and very rare. Therefore, I will definitely make an appointment to donate when the reminder comes in the mail -Donna W.

Thanks Donna! I'm glad you were inspired and that you felt it was easy to do. I think someday I may want to work at a blood center, not as the needle-sticker-person, but maybe as the snack-giver-outer! I love how you wore red for the occasion! Was that in case they spilled a little blood onto your shirt? ; ) Haha! Just kiddin'!
 
****************
Karen M. of Phoenix braved the elements and went out to donate some blood (Karen, that's a little joke there, seeing as I'm freezing my butt off here in Chicago and in fact, my husband just got home from a biz trip in Phoenix the other night!). Karen's actually not "frigid" when it comes to donating as she's a "Gold Card Donor" through United Blood Services, donating three or more times per year. Here's what got her into the groove of giving:

I started donating on a regular basis after my father had a massive heart attack in December of 2006. He needed many transfusions and I realized how incredibly important blood donations are. He would have died without it. Since then I donate on a regular basis and bug, bully, guilt and coerce my friends to donate too. (Oh man Karen, I LOVE THAT LINE!) I figure even just one donation is extremely valuable, especially during the holidays when donations tend to be very low.


I am a huge proponent of blood donation and I thank you for pushing it on your website! It is an easy way for people to give and actually has some health benefits for the donor. :)

I took the attached picture myself with my cell phone (as if you couldn't tell.) I am just too shy to ask the staff to take a picture of me! One of these days I will have to make sure I have a camera when I bring a friend or my husband. Regards, Karen M.

Karen, you seem to have the same attitude as I do! Let's get anyone and everyone to donate a pint! In fact, giving blood should be mandatory for everyone who is physically healthy and able to do so. If a person wants to drive a car in this country, drink a beer in this country, have health insurance in this country, then they should also fork over a pint of blood every couple of months. Whadda ya think?! Am I crazy or what? HA! Probably. Should we start a petition? I bet Obama would love that one!


****************
Next up is a MaNiC MoMMy alum! Alicia donated last year for my virtual drive, but that wasn't her first time to the needle! Nope! Alicia has been donating for 26 YEARS and is up to 19 GALLONS! Talk about incredible! Imagine lining up 19 gallons of milk (except envision them filled with RED BLOOD in them. Ewww, but WOW, really, really cool, cuz man, that is some LIFE-SAVING stuff in those gallons! And those 19 all came from Alicia! (Well, not all at once, but ... you get the picture!)

I usually donate platelets once a month, but we had a blood drive for work yesterday (I work for the police department), Battle of the Badges, versus the fire department. The police department kicked butt! Anyhow, I was the first donor of the day and donated a double unit of red blood cells. I love giving blood as I feel I am doing my small part to help others in need. I am also registered with the National Bone Marrow Registry, and think that would be the most selfless thing one could do for another. It is very cool what you are doing to get more people to donate blood. There is always a shortage in our area. Thank you! Alicia W., Hersperia, CA.

Alicia, I love it when you donors thank me because it's YOU I have to thank! I'm not doing anything! Thank you for helping to promote this and for always being the people out there who DON'T QUIT giving! I truly believe once a giver, always a giver, and you're a true case to this point! And YAY to the police department for kicking butt, but I can say that only because I don't smell any smoke at the moment! : )

****************

This one especially gives me goosebumps. Monique T. donated last year directly to her father who was having major, major heart surgery. This is what she wrote to me this year when she sent in her photo:

Gave and continue to give b/c someone gave my dad a new heart and the least I can do to say thank you is to donate my extra blood to someone who needs it.

Monique, you remind me why I spend almost three months of every year focused on doing this blood drive. Thank you. And give your dad a big hug.


****************
And here is Donald from Houston! Hey Donald! Donald has been a part of this drive for as long as I have been a part of this drive! He's donated from the get-go! That's pretty cool if you ask me! I don't even know if he reads the blog. Each year I just send him a note, "Hey Donald, send me a picture; I need your pint!" and what does he do? He does it for me! That's pretty awesome! So, here are his words of wisdom to anyone out there who may be a little bit, shall we say, "on the fence" about this whole donatang-thang:

Hi Stephanie -

I'm pretty sure I've been in all three years of your blood drive. Went to a different Blood Center location on Saturday. This location has a TV and Directv at every donation chair, so it was nice to be able to flip around some college hoops while giving double red blood cells.


For those who have a thing about needles, some experience, strength and hope from someone who has given over 5 gallons of blood - don't look when they put the needle in! :) Take care, hope you get a good turnout in the next month.

You might not be donating directly to a person you know, but hey, I always believe in good karma, and one day, you may need that pint of blood and like Patricia mentioned at the very beginning of this post, that one person needed EIGHT bags of platelets and there were only SEVEN bags at their hospital. You just never know who may need blood or when it may be needed. God's given you this gift to share what's inside of you for FREE. It's there, it's available. If you're healthy, and feel like you've got it in you to do it, why not take an hour out of your day to give. It will make you feel like you've done something positive and it truly WILL change the lives of a person, or two people or three people. You just never know when it's needed. But, there's one thing that is known for sure. IT IS NEEDED. Every day, the gift of blood is needed.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and those who need your pint!

Some housekeeping notes:

There's still PLENTY of time to jump on the bandwagon and donate! You've got until February 28. That's THREE full weeks left, so I'd LOVE to get at least 20 more of you to commit to giving me a pint of your blood. Last year I had about 50 donors, and I'm not anywhere NEAR that yet. I don't know what's holding some of you back this year? It's frustrating, for sure. Because it's such an easy, generous, satisfying, gracious task that actually leaves you FULFILLED.

Prizes: If you've donated a pint or platelets, sent in your picture and have been featured on a Sunday, Bloody Sunday, you're entered! We're giving away a roundtrip ticket on Southwest Airlines, Suave Beauty Basket, Gift Cards, and whatever else I'll be able to dig up from now until the end of February so if you have something you'd like to donate as a prize, let me know!

If you want more details on how to enter, they can all be found at GotBlood. If you have questions, email me at stephanieelliot @ comcast.net. If you send in your blood donation photo and don't see it posted the following Sunday, email me again as there has been a technical ERROR.

SuNDaY BLooDY SuNDaY, PaRT III, JaN. 24

Well, the donors have been coming in slowly but surely this month. What is it folks!? Is it too cold to go out and roll up your sleeves for a very great cause? With the tragedy in Haiti, and people here close to home in need of blood, what's a mere hour out of your day stopping you from donating blood? If this is the first time you're stopping by, and you have no idea what I'm talking about, hop on over to Got Blood for all the details on the 3rd Annual Virtual MaNic MoMMy Blog for Blood Drive!

This is our third week of donors and I want to give a special shout out to some of you who can't donate but are doing what you can to help spread the word about the drive:

A special thanks to Shelley at I Miss My Sanity. Although she can't donate she helped spread the word by blogging about the blood drive! Stop by and see what her blog is all about and send a big heartfelt thanks!

And on Kids In the City, Melissa Chapman shared the info with her readers too! Thanks to you gals for telling your readers about the blood drive! I truly appreciate your efforts to help spread the word!

Here's my good friend Jackie. I am pretty sure this is her second year donating in the drive. We went over to Heartland on Wednesday and she took one for the team! Thanks so much Jackie! Of course we then had to go out to lunch after cuz donating blood makes ya hungry, and taking a picture of a friend donating makes ya hungry too.

Next up we have the donor duo!

If you haven't already heard by now, crazy chicks Melisa with one S. (Yes, THAT Melisa!-my Original Blog-Stalker!) and Weaselmomma teamed up and we all went over to Heartland on Friday after I got to be a part of their live chat show Suburban Wow! on Friday. And the whole day was a blast with Melisa and Barb.

The two were first mistaken for "partners" (and I'm not talking "lab"), and then they decided to race to see who could "GET ER DONE" in the "bag-o-blood-fill-er-up-fastest" competition. (There's a timer on the blood drawing machine). I was rooting for Melisa (sorry Weasel - I shoulda known!), but Weasel beat her by SIX SECONDS!

Anyway, to hear it like THEY like to tell it, check out the day's events according to Melisa and Weaselmomma HERE: Blood, Weasel Style, and Blood, Melisa Style.

Thanks to Barb and Melisa for a great day Friday. Thanks also to the great crew at Heartland for always making donating blood so much fun! Elka, Gloria, Udho, Tami and the rest of you guys are awesome!

Also, on a personal note, a very, very dear friend has undergone some major unexpected heart surgeries this past week, and I don't know how many pints of blood was used during these surgeries to save her life, but she did almost die. To those of you who donate, thank you so very much. And for those of you who pray, and have some extra space in your hearts to pray more, please keep her in your hearts so that her heart can continue to heal. She has a long, long road ahead, and it's because of a miracle and the grace of God that she is alive right now.

Please consider donating.

Got Blood? I know you do.

SuNDaY BLooDy SuNDaY, PaRT II, JaN. 17

Here's our next batch of amazing blood donors, and you could be next! All you have to do is find your local blood center, and you can do that by checking out the American Red Cross at RedCrossBlood. For all the details on the MaNiC MoMMy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive, check out Got Blood?

Here we have the awesome Mrs. 4444, who I had the pleasure of getting to know a bit at BlogHer this past summer. Interestingly, she had already written about donating blood before she knew about the MM drive, and was planning a blood drive of her own where she got her own friends and family to donate blood instead of giving her birthday gifts. Our amazing pal, Melisa with One S, who is an alum donor of the MaNiC MoMMy Blood Drive told Mrs. 4444 that I was just kicking off the 3rd annual event, so Mrs. 4444 jumped in!

Here's her experience: When Being Negative is Positive. Stop on by and tell her thanks for saving lives!

Hello Ms. Incredible Susan Hines! Susan got stabbed on Wednesday! I met Susan through Twitter! Read her truly amazing story about getting transfusions and then paying it forward here: ShinesSite. Thank you so much Susan, and I'm so glad that she's OK, and that she's now able to help others in need!

GINA

This is my beautiful friend Gina who donated this year and also last year. Sometimes her iron is low so now to make sure she's got good iron before she donates, she eats a whole can of black beans the night before she donated blood. Hmmm. Do you have any idea what a whole can of black beans would do to ME? Yeah. But not Gina. She is all lady, all of the time. How on earth can she handle bein' friends with me? I do not know! Thanks Gina, for tappin' that vein for us! You look great doing it!

MaNiC MoMMy's MoMMy

Hello to my mommy! She donates for me every year! But my dad is too chicken. He passes out, but not my mom! However, she has to send me a real life photo and I take a picture of that to upload onto the computer cuz she's not too sure how to do that kinda stuff yet. Thanks Mommy! But I did razz her a bit because in this photo, I can't see the tubes and BLOOD and all that stuff, and when you send in YOUR photos, I do want to see that, if possible, OK guys? But it's not a deal breaker if you don't have a full-on bloody photo, just do your best. Thanks to my mom, who will be visiting very soon, and we all can't wait! 1-4-3 Mommy!

So that's it for this week! Would LOVE to double the amount of donors for next week! Are you up for the challenge? I am offering a roundtrip ticket on Southwest Airlines to a grandprize winner and other great prizes for your efforts here! Please consider donating an hour of your time and a pint of your blood to save three lives! All the details are right here at Got Blood?

SuNDaY BLooDy SuNDaY, PaRT I

Hey everybody, it's the first installment of MaNiC MoMMy'S Virtual Blog for Blood SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY where I'll be featuring the awesome blood donors every week! Since this is the first official week of the blood drive, it's a little slow, but let's help spread the word! We do have two awesome donors who stepped it up this week to offer up a pint of their lifesaving blood!

The first donor is Royal! Yes, Royal is his first name, and he's a fellow blogger, and I like to call him Royale with Cheese, like from Pulp Fiction, cuz that's just what Royal reminds me of! He wasn't feeling all that great this week but when he felt well enough, he went and gave his pint! In my book, he's quite royal for giving blood and kicking off the blood drive! Thanks very much and also for sharing the info on your blog, http://www.afewfriesshort.com/

And our second donor is someone near and dear to my heart, Mr. Manic. Of course, I had to drag his ass to the blood center, kicking and screaming, but I got him to give his pint, and looky here, as you can tell, he didn't want to do it at all. I'm sorry honey, that I dragged you to donate and that it was so difficult for you, but you did a great job, and thanks for taking one for the team!*

You can still donate to this awesome blood drive! Take your photo in the blood chair like these guys here and email it to manicmommy@comcast.net along with your name, email, city and state and a little info on why you donated. There will be fun prizes at the end of the drive, which runs through Feb, including gift cards AND a Southwest airlines ticket for one grand prize winner! All the details can be found at http://www.tinyurl.com/gotblood

Please help spread the news on your own blog, Facebook and on Twitter!

P.S. Mrs. 4444 -- Where are YOU?!!?

*He really didn't mind and flirted with all the women there and even the guy taking his blood.

uNHiNGeD

This is how I'll feel if you won't donate a pint for MaNiC MoMMy's Virtual Blog for Blood Drive!

Unhinged
Thanks to Rick at Organized Doodles for suggesting this might be someone I could relate to, and for allowing me to Copy & Share, if I Dare! Check out his awesome doodles at his blog, organizeddoodles, and while you're there, tell him to DONATE SOME BLOOD TOO! And by the way, WHERE'S YOUR PINT!

Don't make me come UNHINGED!!! GIMME A PINT OF BLOOD! PLEASE! All the details are HERE!

GoT BLooD? iT'S THaT TiMe aGaiN!!

Welcome to the New Year, New Decade and the Third Annual MaNiC MoMMy'S Virtual Blog for Blood Drive Challenge! I can't believe this is the third year of the blood drive and I wasn't sure if I was going to do it again, but something pulled at me and here I am! Thank YOU for taking the time to consider participating! I ended 2009 by donating my pint yesterday, and I've been bulking up on the iron and came in at 15.4 for my iron count! That's like a MAN's iron count! Been eating a ton of red meat lately now that I'm not eating SUGAR or Diet Coke any more!

If you're new to this, thanks for stopping by, and here's a quick explanation: In 2008, I had a carload of 6 kids and drove past a Heartland Blood Center and decided to stop in to see if I could donate on a whim. With SIX KIDS in the car. We all went in, I donated, and it was SO EASY! I blogged about it, then thought, if that was so easy, why isn't it this easy for everyone else to do it?

Then I thought to make it fun, I'd put some money into it, and give away prizes. Some other awesome bloggers came forward, donated their time and money toward prizes. The next year, a company donated a trip to Florida, and we had even more great people give up a pint of their blood for the cause.

ONE PINT OF YOUR BLOOD WILL SAVE THREE PEOPLE. Some of you have a blood type that can save up to FIVE BABIES. But my mom said it best. Your blood saves more than just three people or five babies. It saves their whole FAMILIES.

To participate in MaNiC MoMMy'S Virtual BLog for Blood Drive, all you have to do is head to your local blood bank and donate a pint of blood from now through February 28. (Make sure you've eaten enough iron-rich foods and have had breakfast and that you drink water before you go.) Have someone there take your photo WHILE YOU ARE DONATING BLOOD and email it to me, along with your name, email, and city and state. Tell me what motivated you to donate. Every Sunday I post the photos calling it SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY.

Email photos to: manicmommy@comcast.net.

At the end of the drive, we'll have great prizes to give away, some of them yet to be determined, but I am ponying up like every year, $3 per EVERY DONOR of my own cash toward prizes ($1 per every life saved - up to a total amount determined by me).

A grand prize will be a ROUNDTRIP SOUTHWEST AIRLINE TICKET for one random winner so if you're looking to head somewhere warm, and if you've got a pint of blood just flowing in your veins that YOU DON'T NEED that maybe someone else COULD USE TO LIVE, you might consider giving it away!

I'm trying, desperately, to entice Ellen Degeneres to give a pint to the cause on her show - wouldn't THAT be fabulous? Or maybe SHE would let a winner come visit HER in California? I've been emailing and tweeting her trying to get her to notice my blood drive efforts, but I know she gets thousands of requests every day, but just as she wanted to be on the cover of Oprah magazine, she didn't quit, so I'm not going to quit bugging her on my quest to get her to at least give me a pint of blood. In fact, wouldn't she look GREAT donating a pint of blood?

All you have to do is donate a pint of blood and have your photo taken. If the staff says you can't get your photo taken in the chair, that's NOT true. See all the people who have had their photos taken: Last Year's Donors! Don't they all look awesome--and they're ALL full of SMILES!

SHOW the staff the photos from the above link! If they still won't let you take a picture, give your pint, and take your picture outside the establishment and take a picture of your "Be nice to me, I donated" sticker, or a picture of your paperwork you fill out, or your bandaged arm. Photos will be considered at my discretion, and I do prefer the photo of you in the chair, but if they're being sticklers about it, do what you can!

Remember to EMAIL your name, email address so I can contact you, city, state, and what motivated you to donate to: manicmommy@comcast.net. Photos will be posted every Sunday!

If you would like to consider sponsoring part of the drive, or donating a prize, those opportunities are also available as well, just email me! Any gift at all is welcome and appreciated! But most of all, the gift of your pint of blood is what we want most!

Thank you very much and if you have any questions about anything I might not have covered here, please leave them in the comment section! Below is a photo of some of the awesome staff at Heartland Blood Center in Naperville, Illinois! Thanks Tammy & Chez! And we'll be seeing the other Tammy and Gloria soon when I bring Mr. Manic in for blood later this week!

How about it, Got a pint to spare? It's a great way to start off the New Year! Happy 2010!

aN oPeN LeTTeR To eLLeN DeGeNeReS CuZ SHe'S So GeNeRouS!

*update: If you want to share this with Ellen, you can tweet it to her by sending this: @theellenshow: MaNiC MoMMy wants your blood! http://bit.ly/6O9wZS or go to her website and send her a note telling her to come to this link: http://bit.ly/6O9wZS.

Dear Ellen,

Remember that time you had a dream? It was a dream to be on Oprah magazine. You believed in yourself and set out with a strong campaign to overcome any naysayers and with hope and dedication you did what you dreamed of doing. (Although I was a bit miffed that Michelle Obama beat you to the punch.)

It was YOUR dream. You set out with a task, and you accomplished it.

Well, I have a dream too. And yeah, if you had your own magazine titled E, my dream would be to share the cover with you, and I’d wear pants too! But you don’t have a magazine titled E, so my dream is something else.

But this something else most definitely involves YOU.

I’m most CERTAIN you can help me obtain MY DREAM. And you’re the ONLY person out of the many millions of people in the world I could have chosen to ask because I know you’ve gone to great lengths to fight for a dream of your own so you know what it’s like to see that dream through. You know where I’m coming from first-hand. You know the pain and the anguish of fighting for your dream, of waiting on hold for Oprah, of going to sleep at night wondering if all your efforts were for naught, wondering if you were wasting your time, if you should have just tried to get on the cover of Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit issue instead.

I fully trust you know how I’m feeling when I make this request, which really is rather simple and beneficial to thousands of people!

I want your blood!

But I want more than that!

I want your viewers’ blood too!

And I’m not talking Edward Cullen blood, although I am most definitely Team Edward and if we have to get him involved in this plight to save thousands, I won’t be one to object! (Heck, I’ll even let him bite my neck!)

Beginning January, and running through February, I will be hosting the 3rd annual MaNiC MoMMy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive, which, to my knowledge is the ONLY virtual blood drive in the blogosphere.

In the past two years, we have saved hundreds of lives through the efforts of blood donors and I KNOW that with the help of The Ellen Show, we can reach MILLIONS!

Of course, if you can help, this teeny little grassroots effort of mine will SKYROCKET into a phenom! I know you help millions of people every year, but one person’s FREE pint of blood helps save THREE lives and donating blood is such an easy and generous gift for ALL people to give! (Plus, there are SNACKS!)

One of the motivational factors I would like to ask, aside from a pint of your blood is that perhaps at the end of this year’s contest, the grand prize winner could receive a trip to your show?

I’M NOT EVEN ASKING FOR A TRIP FOR MYSELF!

I would just love to offer the winner a trip to visit you! In the past, we have offered prizes to the donors, including Target gift cards, movie tickets, gift cards, t-shirts, and other small gifts of which I and some generous blog readers have donated, and last year a trip to Florida was given away. I would LOVE to up the ante and offer one random blood donor a grand prize trip to The Ellen Show!

How AMAZING would THAT BE?

So what do you think Ellen? Are you feeling it in your blood?

I bet your viewers would LOVE to watch you donate a pint of blood on your show. I bet they would LOVE for some of your guests to donate blood on your show! I bet some of my readers of my blog would love the opportunity for a chance to donate a pint of blood in the hopes of winning a trip to be on your show to share their inspirational blood-donating stories! We can spread the word between our efforts! And January is National Blood Donor Month so why not kick off the New Year with a Bloody Party! Bring on the vampires!

I’m sure we can collaborate on some great ways to make this a huge success and if you could help spread the word ANY way at all, I would be most appreciative! I know you probably get hundreds of requests for things like this all of the time, but THIS IS MY DREAM! You had one too! Your dream came true! Remember how it felt when Oprah called YOU! Can you please pay that feeling forward to me? And this dream of mine is only to help OTHERS!

Please!

Details on how I run the MaNiC MoMMy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive can be found here! Basically, anyone can enter – all that is needed is a photo taken while the person is donating blood while in the chair at their local blood bank from January 1 through February 28.

Thank you so much for even taking the time to read my letter! The 3rd annual Virtual Blog for Blood Drive will kick off on January 1 and run through February 28. I'd love the support of The Ellen Show! More details are below and if you would like to know more, we can set up a conference call! Ha, did I really just tell Ellen I can have a conference call with her. Oh yes I did! A girl can dream can't she!? Just ask Ellen! Who dreamed of being on Oprah's magazine AND MADE IT COME TRUE!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Ellen (yes, that’s my REAL middle name!) Elliot aka MaNiC MoMMy

First Annual MaNiC MoMMy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive

Second Annual MaNiC MoMMy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive

MaNiC MoMMy'S ViRTuaL BLoG FoR BLooD DRiVE

Save LIVES - Win a TRIP TO FLORIDA!


Welcome to 2009 everyone, and yes, this is how I want to start off the New Year, with another Virtual Blog for Blood Drive, and this year, like last year, I am asking you to donate blood anytime during January 1, 2009 through February 28, 2009 to enter to win amazing prizes.

I donated my pint yesterday at my favorite Heartland Blood Center!

Here are the details and a quick explanation of what happened last year for those of you new to the scene:

In January 2008, on a whim, blogger Manic Mommy took her three kids and three of their friends with her while she donated blood. Since it was such a cinch with six kids in tow, she wanted to see if she could get others to donate and she spearheaded what she believes to be the first ever virtual blood drive. She convinced 35 blog readers (some of whom had never donated blood in their lives) to donate blood. In all, approximately 100 lives were saved through their combined efforts, and gift cards and various other gifts were awarded to winners. An anonymous blogger even matched the prize money to buy gift cards, and people whom had never donated blood now donate regularly every eight weeks.

This year, Manic Mommy’s Virtual Blood Drive will run from January 1 through February 28, 2009. And it gets even better for those donating in 2009. Aside from additional other fun prizes which will be announced throughout the contest, one grand prize RANDOM winner will receive luxury accommodations for six days, five nights at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort* (www.sandestin.com). To enter, simply go to your local blood bank and donate blood between January 1 - February 28, 2009. Have your photo taken IN THE CHAIR while you are donating blood and send your photo to manicmommy@comcast.net. Include your name, city, state and email address, and what inspired you to donate. Photos/inspirational stories will be posted every Sunday during the contest.

Additional IMPORTANT information:

Do not let the blood bank tell you that you can't have your photo taken because you are allowed to. You may not be allowed to have a photo taken of them inserting the needle, but there are no laws prohibiting photo taking while donating blood. Best way to show proof is by you being in the chair with the needle in your arm, obviously, but if they give you a hard time, a photo in the donation center, with your BE NICE TO ME, I GAVE BLOOD sticker, and other ways to show proof will be accepted. Use your good judgment!

Blood relatives and my immediate friends are NOT eligible to win the grand prize trip to Florida, however they are eligible to win the other prizes awarded.

If you donate twice during the contest (this means you have to donate like TOMORROW to be able to donate again in the timeframe), then your name will be entered twice into the contest.

If you cannot donate blood for some reason but would like to donate a monetary gift toward contest prizes, please email me at manicmommy@comcast.net.
I would be forever grateful, and any small amount is very much appreciated! Most likely these donations will go toward a second-prize or third-prize Visa or MasterCard gift card, much like what was done last year. Or, if you work for a company and think you may have a prize that might inspire others to donate, please feel free to let me know! It's all for an excellent cause - LIVES!

Like last year, for everyone who donates blood, I will put forth my own money toward the second place prize, which will be anywhere between one to three dollars per person who donates (at my descretion as the contest progresses).

More information will follow about the incredible GRAND PRIZE TRIP to Sandestin's premier getaway resort spot: Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, but in the meantime, take a peak at their FABULOUS website: www.sandestin.com.

Every Sunday I will post the pictures and the names of those of you who have generously donated. When you send your photos in, please email them to manicmommy@comcast.net and include your full name, city/state and email address. Include a short paragraph on why you chose to donate.

Last year I mentioned that ONE PINT OF BLOOD SAVES up to THREE LIVES and one pint can save up to FIVE BABIES, but my mother, WHO DONATED YESTERDAY AS WELL (Thanks MOM!), reminded me that donating blood doesn't equal 1 pint saving three lives. Donating blood saves FAMILIES.

Take that into consideration and please meet the Manic Mommy Virtual Blog for Blood Drive Challenge!

It not only will save lives, it could mean a terrific Florida getaway to Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort as well!


Any questions, please leave them in the comment section and I will answer them there! Thank you all!






*Accomodations include two-bedroom, full kitchen and living room; black-out dates and restrictions apply; does not include travel.

You Tube TV Debut

So I took the DVD from the television show and made You Tube videos from that. There are five clips, all are finally uploaded - Some of them have my phone ringing during it. Check out the last one when the credits run and I am talking and acting like I know what I'm doing at the end of the show ... hahah.

The host, who was GREAT, was so easy to talk with, and thanks Aim, for bringing me as your guest, it was sooo much fun! See that Starbucks cup of water? The host told me I could put it on the table! I had it behind the chair!

Also, I said "UMM" A LOT. Hey, I should hold a contest to see who can guess how many times I said UMM. (Don't count 'em, really!)

Part One:


Part Two:


Part Three:


Part Four:


Part Five:

And The Winners Are! POSTED BELOW!

WE HAVE THE WINNERS BELOW!



REMEMBER, IF YOUR NAME IS PULLED, EMAIL MANICMOMMY@COMCAST.NET!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

9:24 PM Updated see below:

10:11 PM Slowly yanking my hair out over this.

11:10 PM FRUSTRATED BEYOND BELIEF! Due to circumstances beyond my control, we'll have to announce the winners tomorrow, and I can't tell you how disappointed I will be if I can't get this video up on youtube!




Here's the deal, I've got only a portion of the stuff uploaded on youtube so far since they're having some maintenance problems over there, and no one is MORE AGGRAVATED THAN I AM!

But we'll start this little Awards Show with what I do have:

This video did get uploaded and it's me naming all the contestants, looking ridiculous doing so, and I have to apologize because I said “Mom and Dad team” instead of “Mom and Daughter team” when I read off the names of the mom and daughter who donated—sorry! And PS, I look like a dork, but OH WELL!



OOPS, SEE, MY BATTERIES DIED DURING THAT VIDEO.

Here’s a photo of all the contestant’s names on cute little hearts for the drawing. I just thought it would be more fun than writing down everyone’s names, plus hearts = blood, and love and yanno…

And here’s a photo of my very good friend G, who is the last of our donors as of today, but she doesn’t qualify for the contest, well, cuz she’s my friend.

I finally came out of the Blog-Closet and told my closest friends in the ‘hood about my blog. Even though they could have all Googled me if they were bored and discovered it THREE YEARS AGO!

Thanks for bleeding today G! xoxoxo And isn’t she cute, everyone!?! Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re all thinking, GET TO THE WINNERS, but I can't since stupid youtube is stalled! But as soon as it’s up and running, I will put up the video.

OH, and there are ELEVEN of you who have won something! MyLHIBug sent more CASH than I thought so we threw in some extra Target gift cards as gifts, so like one-third of you who donated will win something!

So, if you are a winner, and if your name is called on the video when it is posted below, please email me at manicmommy@comcast.net with your full name, address, city, state and zip code so I can send you your prize. If your prize is cash, I can either send you a gift card to Target or another well-named store of your choice or a Visa or MasterCard gift card. Just let me know in your email what you would prefer!

Check back please in a little bit!

9:24 PM, Wednesday night:

Still no youtube--drat! I need to go to bed but I feel an obligation to stay up and hope youtube gets their act together so I can post the winner video! Hey, when I joked previously about the Academy Awards and how they leave you hanging till the wee hours late at night, I WAS JUST KIDDING. How was I to know this bad karma youtube thing would happen.

In the meantime, check this out. This truly unexpectedly happened today with my stalker. Stalkerazzi Part III. I think it's time to get a new jacket. Maybe something a little less pink!

10:11 PM Slowly yanking my hair out over this.

11:10 PM Giving up for tonight. Only because Diva has an orthodontist appointment at 7:30 a.m.! I'm SORRY! I'm also very FRUSTRATED and ANGRY about this! There goes my career in planning major awards events.

6:57 AM Woke up to find the video uploaded, so here are your blood donor winners, even though you're all winners; you're ALL LIFE SAVERS! THANK YOU!