Frank & Friends Show 0079

Frank Murphy is joined by Elyssa Hurley of MEDIC Regional Blood Center as he donates platelets via apheresis. Frank’s platelets are more valuable to MEDIC than his unpopular whole blood type. 

MEDIC often has incentive gifts for donors, such as Dollywood tickets or Tennessee Valley Fair tickets. Learn more at https://medicblood.org 

Frank once saw a blood splatter demonstration at the National Forensic Academy in Oak Ridge. They used expired human blood from MEDIC. 

There is a photo of Alex Grappin on the wall at MEDIC. Frank knows the Grappin family. Alex was a Boy of the Year for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Alex’s dad Tony is a frequent blood donor. 

Elyssa was deferred from donating blood due to low iron. That also happened to Frank once. He was told to go eat a burger and come back the next day. Frank ate a bison burger before coming to MEDIC. 

When Frank donates whole blood, he drinks a lot of extra fluids and is often finished in less time than other donors at the blood drive. 

While in college, Frank signed up for a blood drive. While waiting for his appointment, he went for a ride in a military helicopter that was visiting the college campus. The helicopter didn’t have seats. The riders sat on the floor and strapped themselves to the wall. The back door of the copter stayed open during the flight. Upon landing, Frank was deferred from donating blood because his heart rate and blood pressure were too high. 

When Frank worked for radio stations that sponsored blood drives, he would donate while working. He would often donate at the same time as TV news anchors and they would all post about it on social media. 

Frank asks Elyssa about the pint of Sea Salt Caramel Blue Bell Ice Cream that he once received as a thank-you gift for donating blood. The flavor is not available in stores but can be found at some ice cream parlors, including D & B's Hot Dogs and Ice Cream in Solway. 

Frank was warned that he might get cold during apheresis. He brought along a Frank & Friends Show beach towel to use as a blanket but didn’t need it. 

Elyssa’s parents moved to Tennessee from New York just before she was born. Frank says that makes her a Tennessee native but Elyssa’s mom says that she doesn’t have Tennessee blood in her veins. 

Elyssa likes to visit the desert. She went to New Mexico and was surprised how cold it was when she went night swimming at her hotel. She wants to visit the Pacific northwest. She wants to visit the Grand Canyon. Frank tells her about his trip to Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. 

Elyssa is interested in visiting Mount St. Helens. Frank looks online to see that Mount Rainier is also a volcano. Elyssa mentions the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park. Frank says the supervolcano is included in the SkyFly: Soar America ride at The Island in Pigeon Forge. 

Elyssa is beginning a masters program in historic preservation and museum management. Frank asks if she has heard of the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland. 

Elyssa tells Frank about writing a research paper discussing if Franklin Delano Roosevelt had polio or Guillain-Barré syndrome. Frank talks about the original goal of the March of Dimes was to eradicate polio. That’s part of the reason FDR is pictured on the dime. March of Dimes has since pivoted to help premature babies. 

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