Spirit of Aloha | Message of Aloha | March/April 2001

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Life-Saving Donations

Yvonne Ajimura, an Aloha Airlines executive secretary, has helped save the lives of more than 300 people with her generous donations of blood

On the last day of January, soon after Chinese New Year, Yvonne Ajimura drove to the Blood Bank of Hawai'i and donated another pint of blood. It was her 102nd donation, translating to more than 300 people whose lives she helped save. Those lives include newborn babies, cancer patients, accident and trauma victims and the elderly.

The executive secretary to Ken Best, vice president of Cargo and Contract Services for Aloha Airlines, Yvonne is part of the 2 percent of Hawai'i residents who regularly donated to the Blood Bank of Hawai'i. Because half of the donations come from corporations, companies such as ours are integral to the survival of the nonprofit Blood Bank and the people it helps.

Aloha Airlines' annual Blood Drive takes place in May every year. This year it will be held on May 25, and we welcome employees, their families and friends. For many, the annual ritual provides a sense of satisfaction and participation, particularly if they know someone who has needed a blood transfusion. We also encourage giving blood year-round, as Yvonne Ajimura has done for nearly a quarter-century.

"I try to go every eight weeks, regardless of the Blood Drive," she says. "And because each pint of whole blood is separated into platelets, red blood cells and plasma, one pint helps save three lives."

Donors must be in good health, 18 years and older, and weigh 110 pounds or more. Their safety is top priority, and scrupulous screening makes the procedure safe for donor and recipient. Screening includes a blood pressure, pulse, temperature and weight check, and a red blood cell count is taken. A trained nursing team member is present throughout each step, and the disposable and sterile equipment is never reused. Including the confidential interview, mini-physical and paper work, the process may take up to 11/2 hours.

Like most regular donors, Yvonne had strong, clear reasons for giving. "I started donating when I was working at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard," she recalls. "When I had surgery in the early '70s, I used a pint of blood. At that time I was underweight and couldn't meet the weight requirement. But because I had used a pint of blood, I wanted to give back."

Slowly, through the years, she gained the necessary weight. "As soon as I reached 110 pounds in 1977, I donated my first pint of blood," she explains. She has been giving generously since. A member of the Blood Bank's Century Club (those who have given 100 pints and more), Yvonne is one of the unsung heroes of Hawai'i.

"I also found out that I'm AB positive," she notes. "We can receive type AB, we can receive A, we can receive B and O. Just as type O negative is the universal donor, compatible with all other blood types, we are the universal receivers."

It hit her: It would be good to be a giver as well as a receiver.

According to the Blood Bank, more than 250 donors are needed daily to maintain the blood supply necessary to fulfill Hawai'i's needs. Normally there is a four- or five-day supply of blood, but a drop to three days is considered critical.

That's why people like Yvonne are so important.

"There are others who do better things than me," she insists. "For Aloha Airlines, it's community service, our employees giving back and saying thanks to the community. I plan to do this as long as I can."

The Blood Bank of Hawai'i, 845-9966, is located in Honolulu at 2043 Dillingham Blvd., with a downtown donor center at 126 Queen St.

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