News Release June 25, 2007

Wife and Mother of Three to Meet Life-saving Blood Donors

Donors, staff and friends celebrate Community Lifelines June 28

Contact:
Julie Scott
303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (June 25, 2007) – Just one year after recovering from emergency surgery following the birth of her third daughter, Hays Padrnos will meet some of the selfless individuals who helped save her life at Bonfils Blood Center’s annual Community Lifelines event. On Thursday, June 28 six volunteer blood donors along with OB/GYN Robert Gore, MD and other Sky Ridge Medical Center and Bonfils Blood Center employees who contributed to Padrnos’ care will gather in celebration of her full recovery. The celebration will begin at 1 p.m. on the Plaza Terrace at Belmar Events Center located at 405 S. Teller Street in Lakewood, Colo.

On June 14, 2006 at 8:58 p.m. Padrnos gave birth to her baby girl, Ella Christine. The 7 pound, 1 ounce baby girl looked just like her sisters and was the picture of health however her mother appeared unusually weak and tired. As the hours passed Padrnos suffered extensive blood loss and needed emergency surgery and blood transfusions to save her life. The selfless generosity of 22 blood donors along with the experienced medial care she received from staff at Sky Ridge Medical Center made her recovery possible. Today, Mom and Ella, now one year old, are both healthy and happy and enjoy spending quality time with their family.

“Words can't adequately express how thankful my family and I are to those who donated the blood that I received last summer,” Padrnos said. “I am honored and grateful to have the opportunity to meet and personally thank some of those donors.

“We are proud to honor our generous blood donors and healthcare partners for their life-saving acts and to celebrate Hays’ recovery,” said Thomas C. Puckett, Bonfils Blood Center’s chief executive officer. “Events such as this truly bring to light the fact that just a little time and one pint of blood can make a big difference in our community. Hays is living proof that blood donations save lives.” 

Bonfils’ partnership with Sky Ridge Medical Center began in 2003 when the medical center opened its doors. To date Bonfils has provided more than 11,000 life-saving blood products to Sky Ridge to support patients in need. Sky Ridge Medical Center, located in Lone Tree, Colo., in the heart of Douglas County, was the first acute care medical center in Douglas County. Since its opening, Sky Ridge has assembled a team of some of the finest physicians in the metro Denver area, brought state-of-the-art technology to the community and offered exceptional care and service in a soothing, healing environment.

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.

About Sky Ridge Medical Center (part of the HealthONE system)

HealthONEis the largest healthcare system in the metro Denver area with 8,500 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. Named Colorado's "Best Company for Working Families -- large business category" (2004, 2005, 2006), the health system was created in 1995 as a 50/50 joint venture between non-profit The Colorado Health Foundation (formerly HealthONE Alliance), Colorado’s second largest charitable foundations and various affiliates of HCA. 

HealthONE includes: The Medical Center of Aurora and Centennial Medical Plaza; North Suburban Medical Center; Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center; Rose Medical Center; Sky Ridge Medical Center; Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital; Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Southwest ER; 13 ambulatory surgical centers; more than 30 occupational medicine/rehabilitation, Broncos Sports Medicine, specialty, and outpatient diagnostic imaging clinics; and AIRLIFE, which provides critical care air and ground transportation for an eight-state region.