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“We’re so inspired by Mr. Whitney,” Mr. Tinker said. “He’s shown us that we need to roll up our sleeves to donate and to tell people how important platelet donations are. People don’t understand the need. People don’t understand how comfortable the pheresis process is. We platelet donors can give fre-quently and recruit other donors too.” Platelets Across America founder Al Whitney talked with University of Kentucky hematolo-gist Kevin McDonagh, MD while KBC donor services automation specialist Faith Sebastian processed Mr. Whitney’s platelet donation.

Mr. Whitney, from Avon Lake, Ohio (near Cleve-land), did interviews with four radio stations and the Lexington Herald-Leader during his platelet dona-tion at KBC. Kevin McDonough, MD, chief of the University of Kentucky HealthCare Markey Cancer Center Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, also discussed the importance of platelets in cancer treatment. More than 70 percent of all platelets donated to the Ken-tucky Blood Center are transfused into patients fighting cancer.