The next time you hear about a traffic accident where someone is seriously injured … think about this; a single crash can require doctors use up to 50 units of blood.

According to ImpactLife, about 62% of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood, but only about 3% donate at least once a year. Blood Center manager of Public Relations Kirby Winn says blood is needed for so many situations.

“It could be a patient in treatment for cancer, someone needing surgery, if there’s a trauma with blood loss and a patient comes into the emergency room, those are all reasons that don’t change because it’s winter weather outside, and that’s why this time of year, even though we might face cancelation of blood drives and loss of appointments related to weather, we always need to maintain a strong and stable inventory.” 

Winn says the blood center which serves OSF HealthCare strives to have a minimum 5-day supply of all blood types. It considers inventory “critically low” at less than a 2-day supply. ImpactLife currently has a 3-day supply of type O-negative, A-negative, and AB-negative red blood cells while other types are at higher levels.

ImpactLife has been hit by blood drive cancelations and hundreds of missed appointments due to winter weather so far this year. By early February, the blood center was working to recover the loss of more than 550 donations across its four-state service region. ImpactLife also provides blood components used by 26 air and ground ambulance services in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.

According to Winn, considering the losses due to weather, inventory levels are holding up well. But he says the supply is just one big snowstorm from having a serious issue.

The number one reason people choose to give blood is their desire to help others, but the blood center hopes its Donor For Life rewards program can motivate additional donations as well.

Winn says there are several ways donors can benefit.

More than one reward option

“The way that it works is after giving blood, the donor will receive an email with a link to use to redeem for that electronic gift card to their choice of a variety of retailers and restaurants, places that we all know. Or they can choose those points to use in our reward store. Or finally, the option to give charitably to a nonprofit organization.”

Donors need to select the Good Giving option to receive information on how to direct their charitable donation.

ImpactLife also has an easy-to-use smart phone app that tracks reward points, helps donors find nearby donor centers and blood drives, track their donation history, view wellness info and prompt donors to give more often. The intent of the app is to keep current blood donors engaged and to attract new donors, which is especially important for the long-term stability of our region’s blood supply.

ImpactLife provides blood to more than 120 hospitals and emergency medical services teams in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, including OSF HealthCare facilities. Winn says to meet patient needs for blood and blood components, the blood center requires more than 3,000 donations from volunteer blood donors every week.

In addition to allowing for easy sign-up to donate at a local blood drive, the app also stores important health information such as heart rate and what your blood pressure was for the last donation.

For more inspiration about how your donation can make a difference, watch Brianne’s story.

Sign up here for an ImpactLife account or download the ImpactLife app, which is available for both Android and Apple smart phones. 

Video clips with Kirby Winn

B-roll for blood bank app (ImpactLife)

Innovative Technologies at the Forefront

Leading-edge cancer treatments like proton beam therapy, brachytherapy, genetic counseling and dietetics are all offered within the OSF Cancer Institute, providing patients with a one-stop-shop during their cancer journey.  

Proton therapy

Proton therapy was first offered on April 1, 2024.

"Proton therapy lets us offer radiation therapy to patients that maybe wouldn't have been able to tolerate side effects due to tumor location, or factors such as prior radiation treatment to the same area," says Tom Cox, the vice president of operations at OSF Cancer Institute. " This is possible because protons stop after passing through a tumor, eliminating the radiation effects on tissue often treated incidentally to photon (X-ray) therapy. The OSF Cancer Institute is on track to have treated 180 patients by April 1, 2025 – which far exceeded the original first-year target of 130 patients.

Brachytherapy

The brachytherapy suite offers a more patient-friendly way for mostly prostate and gynecological (cervical, endometrial) cancer patients to receive treatment. This option involves placement of applicators or needles directly into tumors so that very controlled, effective radiation can be delivered in discrete volumes. Since the radiation is delivered from within the tumor, there is a dramatic reduction of the dose to normal tissue, even those near the tumor itself. The dose is delivered with high-dose rate techniques so the therapy is delivered in just a few minutes time.

"Being able to bring the introduction of the applicators into the body, the treatment planning CT and the treatment all in one room, has created a much better experience. We're having some really good outcomes there, and we think we can expand what we're able to do there,” Cox says.

Intuitive Ion robot 

The OSF Cancer Institute’s pulmonology team offers state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and treatments, including minimally invasive, robotic surgeries and robotic assistive bronchoscopy. This includes the Intuitive Ion Robot, which allows care teams to get early answers and advance care for lung cancer patients.

"We're going to leverage the ability of an ion robot in the interventional pulmonary lab to really upend how we do the front end of lung cancer care," Cox says. "That robot is going to enable us to biopsy smaller lesions. It has fewer side effects than when you're getting a lung biopsy that's CT-guided. You can also do a staged EBUS (endobronchial ultrasound) exam, so you can diagnosis and stage at the same time."

Rachael Davis, MD, a pulmonologist at OSF Cancer Institute, and her team have been using the ion robot weekly. Dr. Davis and her team are training more providers, and by this summer they’re expecting to quadruple – or more – how often it’s used. 

HIPEC procedures

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgeries are now offered at the OSF Cancer Institute. Tamara Floyd, MD, a surgical oncologist with OSF performs the open surgery and removes tumors from the abdomen. In the HIPEC procedure, heated chemotherapy is circulated through the body for a period of time. The first case went extremely well, and Dr. Floyd is planning her second case for mid-March. 

In addition to treatment options, the OSF Cancer Institute is increasing cancer supportive services in the Peoria region as well.

• Cancer navigation - 13% increase (Specially trained OSF Mission Partners walking you through the process of cancer care) 
• Dietetics - 64% increase
• Palliative medicine - 213% increase (Helps control symptoms, augments treatment from physicians) 
• Genetic counseling - 20% increase

Nutrition journey during cancer

Part of the dietary benefits OSF Cancer Institute offers is in the CEFCU Teaching Kitchen. Oncology dietitians work with patients on recipes to cook and are there with them step-by-step during their cancer journeys. Cox says 50% of people who come in for cancer treatment have dietary risks, while 80% of those people suffer malnutrition during treatment. Having a trained, professional dietary team walking alongside you helps fight those negative complications.

OSF Cancer Institute Culture

Cox credits the Institute’s first-year success to the culture of those who work there. The goal, he says, is to offer cancer support services across the entire spectrum of life. 

"The Mission Partners that work in this building have completely bought in to the idea that we all are advocates for cancer patients. We're always asking patients what they need, to see if we can help them," Cox says. "If we hear there's an issue with travel, or they're having trouble keeping food down, or if their children are not coping very well (with a loved one's cancer diagnosis), we know there are resources in the building, and we try very hard to line up those resources. You can feel it when you walk through the building."

Support services after cancer treatment 

"We can get you with a nurse, an exercise specialist and a dietitian to get back to your best life after cancer. Maybe you like to run a lot and ran half marathons, and you think you'll never be able to do it again. We have rehab and exercise specialists here and nutritionists. Who says you can't do that again? We're going to work with you to see you can get to the life after cancer you want to get to,” Cox says.

Services and medical professionals continue to grow

Building off the first year of OSF Cancer Institute, the administrative team continues to hire world-class medical professionals to offer cancer care in Peoria. A breast surgeon was recently brought onto the team, and a colorectal surgeon will be starting soon.

Additionally, the fourth floor of the building will be built out soon. Cox says this will give much-needed space for the surgical oncology and medical research teams. Research-focused medical oncologists are currently being recruited as well.

Leaving OSF Cancer Institute healthier, and more aware

Patients who leave OSF Cancer Institute don't just leave the building as healthier people; their awareness continues and will benefit other people. Cox admits a cancer diagnosis is not an easy thing to go through, and that the support from the OSF care team doesn’t stop when you walk out the door.

Grateful for community support

Cox says he’s been humbled throughout the years of working in oncology by the incredible commitment of the community and region to the OSF Cancer Institute.

"It is overwhelming to me, the philanthropic spirit of our community and extended community," Cox says. "I take that as, they've made a big commitment to us, and we're making a big commitment back. We're going to bring things to central Illinois that have not been here before. We are going to support you and your family members throughout your life and keep you as healthy, relative to cancer, as we possibly can."

Looking to the future

Cox says the OSF Cancer Institute is looking to bring more pediatric cancer support services to the building, the work collaboratively alongside the adult services.

The team is creating both a lung lesion clinic and a lung multidisciplinary clinic, which aims to reduce the time from finding a cancerous lesion to treatment. The lesion clinic is expected to open in late spring.

The OSF Cancer Institute intake team has been created with oncology nurses who will answer patients’ questions on the very same day, to see if services are right for you.

Cox adds that OSF is planning to put together an early detection hotline as a resource for the community to know if or when they should be screened for cancer.

To learn more about the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, visit its website to view the services offered and find contact information to get connected.

Video Interview Clips

No one was looking forward to a Los Angeles Dodgers/New York Yankees World Series matchup more than Charley Steiner. The former ESPN broadcaster used to call Yankee games and has spent the past two decades calling Dodger games on the radio. But Steiner, a Bradley University graduate, has missed the entire baseball season due to health reasons. In January of this year, Steiner, 75, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. 

Multiple myeloma is a relatively uncommon cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 35,000 new cases were diagnosed in the U.S. this year. Of those, about 12,500 deaths will occur.  While rare and incurable, multiple myeloma is still a cancer that warrants plenty of attention.

With multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells collect in the bone marrow, leaving little room for healthy blood cells. Rather than produce useful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause problems.

“Multiple Myeloma is a blood cancer, and it actually affects the white blood cells called plasma cells," says Peggy Rogers, a genetics and medical oncology nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare. "They work to make antibodies and when they work normally all is well. But in multiple myeloma these plasma cells go awry, so to speak, and they make an abundant amount of them, which decreases a person’s immune system and can cause a lot of other health issues related to this diagnosis.”

There are several risk factors when it comes to multiple myeloma, including age, family history, and gender.

“It is not very common. It’s only about 1-2 % of patients affected with cancer," says Rogers. "Typically it affects people 65 and over, predominantly seen in males and higher frequency in the African American population and we’ve also seen it in men affected by Agent Orange.”

Multiple myeloma symptoms vary. In fact, there may be no symptoms early on in the disease. But if you are experiencing nausea, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss or frequent infections, some investigation might be in order.

“Patients oftentimes can present with renal dysfunction," says Rogers. "They can have bone pain, anemia, and they may have frequent infections as well.” Charley Steiner's symptoms – terrible back pain – started a year ago. 

Treatment depends on how advanced the cancer is and whether there are any symptoms. If there are symptoms, treatment may include chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, radiation, or targeted therapy, which uses drugs to attack specific cancer cells with minimal damage to healthy cells. If there are no symptoms, treatment may not be needed right away.

Steiner says his cancer is now in remission. He hopes to return to the Dodgers' broadcast booth next season. 

“It is very treatable and patients do well with therapy," says Rogers. "They will likely be on some type of maintenance therapy for the duration. They are living longer and having more success in longer intervals between treatments.”

For more information about cancer services, visit OSF HealthCare.

Video Interview Clips