A 25-year-old stuffed duck is a visual reminder for Karen Bordson, DO, of her passion for saving lives by donating blood. The duck is adorned with her first nine donation pins and first gallon donor pin.
Dr. Bordson’s high school swim coach in Madison, WI, gave her the duck as a thank you for donating blood for the first time at age 17.
Over the years, she has donated 95 times and over 11 gallons, with the potential to save up to 380 lives. “If you can take just an hour of your time and save up to four lives, why not donate?” she asks. “We will be fighting a losing battle if we don’t have blood to provide when patients need it.” During her college years, Dr. Bordson, now an obstetrician/gynecologist with Meritas Health Obstetrics & Gynecology, worked for the Red Cross as a health historian (clerk) and student nurse, assisting with blood drives. “My experience was great preparation going into medicine,” she says.
