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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, September 1, 2002

Reality checks drive pair to take blood-giving to work

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Cathy Brogan and Sheryl Wong each had personal reasons for wanting to give blood.

Brogan's baby girl needed five units of blood and three units of platelets the minute she was born. Doctors weren't sure the baby was going to make it, but due in part to the gift of life from anonymous blood donors, the baby survived and thrived.

Wong was in New York City on a business trip on Sept. 11. She watched the second plane fly into the World Trade Center. Stranded for five days in the city, she joined the thousands who tried to find some way to help. She stood in line for hours to donate blood. "I saw first-hand how important giving blood is," she said.

But though each had personal reasons for wanting to give blood, it was the son of a beloved colleague who inspired the women to get their entire company involved.

Jan Torres' son Andrew was born with a rare, genetic blood disorder. Since the age of 10, Andrew has received three units of blood via transfusion every month. Every night, he has to inject himself with a medicine that helps regulate the iron in his blood. Andrew is in high school now, and though his transfusions must continue, he is, by all accounts, doing great.

"He's at the top of his class," Wong says.

"He's a good kid," adds Brogan. Brogan is the CEO of Summit Lending, a downtown mortgage company. Wong is Summit's senior vice president. This summer, they signed on with the Blood Bank of Hawaii's Lifesavers Club, in Andrew's honor, and committed to holding a company blood drive once a quarter.

They kept it a surprise for Torres, who has long been a Blood Bank volunteer, speaking to potential donors about how the gift of blood has kept her son alive.

One day, the Summit employees gathered in a conference room and Wong asked Torres to talk about her son's condition and his reliance on donated blood. At the end of Torres' talk, Wong announced that the company was making a lasting commitment to the Blood Bank.

"She was in tears," Wong said.

Half of Summit's26 employees happily signed up for their first blood drive, and Cathy Brogan, who had a particular fear of needles, made sure she was first in line that day. "The nurse was great," Brogan said. Wong agreed, "They poked just once."

Summit is inviting their wholesale clients, local mortgage brokers, to join in their effort. Brogan and Wong joke about getting their retail clients to join in the effort.

"Here, sign these papers for your mortgage and could we have your blood, too?"

Though they laugh about how they might possibly broach the subject tactfully with home buyers, the two look like they just might hatch a workable plan.

Torres recently moved to another company, but Summit keeps in touch and has kept their promise to support the Blood Bank. "We're gonna hit 120 pints by the end of the year," Brogan says. "I'm very goal-oriented, and that's a good goal."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.