“We Serve” Feature: Doing Right By Donating
As part of Floyd Lee Locums volunteerism program, “We Serve,” we encourage employees to partner with people and programs that better the communities we live in. Our Vice President of Marketing, Kelly Starkey, is a shining example of this spirit, as a lifetime donor to blood collection centers. Like so many, her story of giving started in the community she grew up in.
When Kelly was a teenager, a cheerleader at her small high school was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma bone cancer. Rallying around their classmate, the school did a blood drive to support her. In pre-HIPPA era, her classmate could receive credits in her treatment account to offset the cost of transfusions based on the donations made.
Kelly admits her motives were less altruistic then. She was offered extra credit for a trigonometry class to donate—so she went down to the cafeteria to give her pint of blood and get on with passing that class. But the story didn’t end there…
A few weeks later, the lab called Kelly saying she was a perfect match for her classmate. The treatment required ongoing transfusions of platelets, which could be donated specifically at the University of Utah lab. This 2 hour procedure allows for more regular donations so Kelly said, “Yes,” and began traveling to the lab every few weeks, with her best friend in tow, to give selflessly.
This year, 4.5-million Americans will need a blood transfusion. But only 10 percent of people eligible to donate will do so. Beyond blood donation, Kelly is also registered for the national bone marrow registry and as an organ donor. Just like Kelly did for her classmate, a little bit of your time could mean years of life given back to someone else. Consider the organizations below and the impact you can make by donating.
The American Red Cross has an easily searchable donation tab on their website that lets you find donation opportunities near you.
Be The Match, the national marrow registry, will ship a Q-Tip cheek swab to your home to see if you could be someone’s cure.
Donate Life, offers information on becoming an Organ Donor in your state and the opportunity to impact lives after you are gone.
Today, her former classmate is healthy and happy in Park City, Utah. For Kelly’s part, she has donated blood—most often platelets—more than 200 times. While the power of donation isn’t lost on Kelly, many people have the opportunity to likewise impact their communities and potentially save another individual’s life with their donation.
Learn more about our We Serve program of corporate volunteerism and community engagement.
About Floyd Lee Locums
Floyd Lee Locums provides an elite concierge experience to Physicians, Dentists and advanced practice healthcare clinicians in hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide. Founded by industry veterans Matt Floyd and Natasha Lee, the company has built an exceptional team of experienced locums and healthcare staffing professionals.
Named the “2020 Best Staffing Firm to Temp For” by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), their hands-on approach to delivering best-in-class service, personalized career solutions, and coverage that positively impacts patient outcomes is setting a new standard in the locums industry.