KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
An 8-year-old Santa Clarita girl is fighting for her life Wednesday, leaving her family asking the community for blood donations to help her survive.
Sponsored Articles
Lilly Whitaker, 8, of Santa Clarita, fell sick the other night and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
However, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital doctors quickly realized the girl needed a specialty care for her condition that required she be airlifted to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Lilly has a disease that’s attacking the fluids around her heart, and on Monday night, she went into cardiac arrest and needing open heart surgery.
“Today, they’re going to be cleaning around the heart. Said Kirk Stinson, a family friend of the girl, who works with her dad at his company, Plumbing by Kirk. “Hopefully, she will react to stimulation, but time will tell.”
In the meantime, the situation highlights the dearth of blood donation facilities in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The girl’s blood type is AB Negative,
“The only request they have is blood platelets,” said Stinson, “and prayers. Thats why we’ve been putting out the vibe and telling everybody.”
The tragedy unfortunately highlights the need for more blood donation facilities in the Santa Clarita Valley.
If someone would like to donate blood to help Lilly, the most direct way is to make an appointment at the Blood Donor Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
The information to donate is listed below:
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Blood Donor Center
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
United States
Phone: 323-361-2441
Email: blooddonor2@chla.usc.edu
Schedule an Appointment
Monday-Friday: 6:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday: 6:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Can 0- help ab-?
Can 0- help ab-?
O- is the universal donor and will help anyone! It’s the most needed type of blood!
Yes, AB- can receive AB-, A-, B- and O-. O- is the universal donor and all blood types can revive this blood.
receive* not revive
Yes! O- is the universal donor. I’m O+ so I can only donate to people who have a + RH factor like I do
Yes! We can donate to anyone
Yes.. O- can help.
Yes, definitely! make an appointment at chladonateblood.org
O- is universal and can give to all other types
O can give to anyone. But O can only receive o.
The phone number listed rings, someone picks up and they hang up. Is there a better number.?
This has been going on for about 30 min
Sorry about that! If you were not able to get through, feel free to schedule an appointment at chladonateblood.org we appreciate it!
I am O negative, and give blood at the American Red Cross on a regular basis.
If you are still in need of donations, please let me know. I can donate on Sat. May 27th .
My husband and I used to be regular donors to the Red Cross. Our friend’s son became ill and needed regular transfusions at CHLA, so we started doing direct donations to them. We learned that Red Cross charges a lot of money for blood and the rate changes based on demand. We learned that when you do general donations at a hospital the blood is provided to the patients at no charge. CHLA is a bit of a drive, but they have weekend hours and we try to donate to them directly as often as we can.
AB-, A-, B-, O- Can donate to AB-
Perry – do you know if there is a donation center closer then Childrens Hospital?
They do not, but sometimes they have Mobile blood drives. When you call they can let you know.
We are working on getting a BloodMobile a bit closer than CHLA. We will keep you posted. Thank you!
I am b negative
She can take your blood, Karen.
U can help…
Are they needing blood or platelets? Those are two very different procedures. Platelet donation requires special equipment and the ARC in Woodland Hills is equipped. AB+ blood types are universal platelet donors.
My sons are b negative, will that help?
I’m a AB positive, does that work? Also, I used to live in Europe. Can I donate?
I am B-. Would that work? I can drive down any day.
She needs platelets.. blood type doesn’t matter
Will O positive work?
You can also schedule an appointment online! Visit http://www.chladonateblood.org to create an account and schedule your appointment.
Will O positive work?
Just so everyone knows blood platelets ARE NOT limited by blood type. Platelets are parts of the blood and are spun out in a machine that separates them the parts of the blood that are types. ANYONE can donate platelets to her. It is a longer process. If you don’t have the time to donate platelets, you can donate whole blood and they will spin it to get the platelets.
what about ab positive?
I am A negative and gave platelets at UCLA about 8-10 years ago. I also am older, but have given blood several times as a senior. Not sure if A neg is compatible
The parents said any blood type can give blood she needs blood and the platelets. if the blood type doesnt work they will use the platelets thank you so much!!
please let me know how i can donate i am o positive
Call children’s hospital on sunset and make an appointment.
A- helps. Yes yes
Please give me information. I am ab negative
Have it. Will try to contact them tomorrow
Hello,
This article was forwarded to me. I am AB+ but I am not sure if my blood helps. Please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll try calling tomorrow.
Mike
I believe I am Rh negative
I am AB+, I over produce platelets so I will have to call tomorrow and see if I can donate.
I am a AB negative. I can come anytime even now. I don’t know what # to call. Please call me @ 213-880-9345
Does she still need blood?
Someone can always set up a blood drive through CHLA in their neighborhood, just not sure how booked they are to start asap
According to this website: http://thebloodconnection.org/about-blood/blood-education/blood-types/
AB- can receive AB-, B-, A-, O-
What the parents said takes precedence over the post I just made… sorry, I didn’t see that before I posted!!
“The parents said any blood type can give blood she needs blood and the platelets. if the blood type doesnt work they will use the platelets thank you so much!!”
I’m O- , I can help.
I am AB negative. I called the phone number listed and they picked up on the first ring. Unfortunately because I have several children they told me my blood carries antibodies which make my platelets unuseable. I know how hard it can be to find this blood type and I truly wish I could help. My prayers are with Lily and her family.
I’m so excited to let you know that my husband will be going on June 10 to donate his platelets for Lilly…. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.
Correction – Lily is O negative. We are trying to get a CHLA BloodMobile out to a location closer than CHLA for all who are interested in donating. Details to come… Thank you, all!
according to the chart on the red cross website, all blood types are compatible with her AB- type
http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types.html
AB- can receive from all – donors not all donors.
Kristin – Yes….please let us know if a BloodMobile comes out to Santa Clarita for Lily
Is there a closer location than CHLA to donate for Lily specifically?
Yes, it is quite a distance, but it might be possible to carpool. Not only is it a saving on gas, but you can use the carpool lane…and it can be fun to meet new people.
Also, how long will she need blood donations? I hope she won’t have to spend her life in a hospital. I will be praying for her.
I too have emailed the CHLA regarding the Bloodmobile coming out to Santa Clarita. Or to otherwise provide us with a location closer to Santa Clarita at which we can donate on behalf of Lilly.
There is a CHLA on Valencia Blvd. Start there.
I have O neg I can donate on Tuesday as I live 120 miles from LA. Or is there somewhere closer I can go? I also have three daughters that are in their 20’s with O neg blood that I am sure would donate but not sure if they can get to la as they have children. Is there anywhere in the Antelope Valley we can donate for this little girl?
Ab- can only receive ab-. My father just passed away he lived in Palmdale. It took 3days to get one pint of blood delivered from the red Cross. I encourage anyone with this blood type to plz consider donating on a regular basis. It could save a life. Thank u. Good luck little one. Prayers are with u
If Lily is O- then she can only receive O- blood.
Her Blood Type is O Negative, the A/B was misinformation.
I’m negative . Not sure if it’s a, b, an or o. How do I find out? And how can I donate?
Blood type doesn’t matter. She needs blood platelets, which can be donated by any blood type.
Has the family received any donations yet? I believe my niece is AB-.
Make sure you tell CHLA that you want to be a DIRECT DONER so it goes directly to her!
My mom and I would like to donate. I donate regularly because I’m 0- and rh- but we recently had tattoos done in memory of my brother that just passed. I know the blood bank I go to is having wait a year. Would it be the same in the situation?
Hello, I am AB-, I donate thru BloodSource but in Northern Cal. Can I request blood donation go to her?
I’m a+ can I help?
I saw the plea on Facebook. I am AB-. I can go donate but i cannot reach a human at the other end of tbe phone. Should this be a directed donation? Can i go today?
Sadly, she passed away. There will still be a blood drive on wed at Granada Hills Little League in her honor.