News Release May 15, 2006

Blood Recipient to Meet Life-saving Donors
Donors, staff and friends celebrate Community Lifelines May 23

For more information contact:
Julie Scott 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (May 15, 2006) - Three years after recovering from a near-fatal ski accident Denver Haslam will get the chance to meet the people that helped save his life at Bonfils Blood Center’s annual Community Lifelines event. On Tuesday, May 23 nearly 40 volunteer blood donors, Haslam’s doctor, Charles Mains, Flight For Life Nurse Peter Werlin and other St. Anthony Central Hospital and Bonfils Blood Center employees who contributed to his care will gather in celebration of Haslam’s full recovery. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. on the outdoor terrace at Belmar Events Center located at 405 S. Teller Street in Lakewood, Colo.

In February 2003, at the close of a day of skiing with friends at Arapahoe Basin ski area, Haslam decided to take one last run down the mountain. That downhill descent almost became his last when he slid on a patch of ice and subsequently collided, at high speed, with a tree. While the helmet he was wearing initially saved his life, it was the emergency treatment on the Flight For Life Critical Care Ground Unit, the extraordinary medical care at St. Anthony Central Hospital and the more than 130 life-saving units of blood he received throughout the course of his treatment that put him on the road to recovery.

“So many people shared the gift of life with me. I can’t imagine a better gift and am grateful for the opportunity to thank each of them face-to-face,” said Haslam. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today to share my story and experience or to encourage others to make an easy life-saving donation.”

In addition to conquering the same mountain that almost took his life, one year to the day of the accident, Haslam overcame his fear of needles by becoming a volunteer blood donor last October. Haslam, who will donate his third unit of blood this month, says he feels an obligation to give back to the community what so many selflessly gave to him.

“Every day, hundreds of patients, like Haslam, need blood transfusions to give them a better chance of living,” said Thomas C. Puckett, Bonfils Blood Center’s chief executive officer. “Thanks to our generous blood donors and partnerships with hospitals like St. Anthony Central we are able to fulfill our mission of saving and enhancing lives.”

Bonfils’ partnership with St. Anthony Central Hospital spans 60 years. The blood center first began providing blood and blood products to the hospital in 1945. As a Level I trauma center, the need for blood is constant. In the last 12 months, Bonfils has provided St. Anthony Central with nearly 9,500 units of blood to treat patients in need of transfusions. In addition, the hospital celebrated a milestone in 2005 in honor of hosting blood drives with Bonfils for 30 consecutive years.

Community Lifelines 2006 is generously supported by Belmar Center and Chick-fil-A.

About St. Anthony Central Hospital
St. Anthony Central Hospital is Colorado’s largest nonprofit Level I trauma center and home of Flight For Life, the nation’s first hospital-based emergency medical helicopter program. Located in Denver, Colo., St. Anthony Central is part of St. Anthony Hospitals, a nationally recognized full-service health care organization serving Colorado for more than 100 years. In addition to St. Anthony Central Hospital, St. Anthony Hospitals operates hospitals in Westminster and Frisco, and medical clinics in Granby, Winter Park and Copper Mountain. Sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives, St. Anthony Hospitals is part of Centura Health, which operates 12 hospitals, eight senior residences, medical clinics and home care and hospice services across Colorado. For more information on St. Anthony Central Hospital, please visit www.stanthonyhosp.org.

About Bonfils Blood Center
For more than 60 years, Bonfils Blood Center has supported the community blood supply and has played an instrumental role in the lives of patients in need throughout Colorado and beyond. Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood and blood products to more than 200 hospitals and healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about scheduling a blood donation, please visit www.bonfils.org or call 303.363.2300.