Hello! My name is Carlie Pedersen. I’m a cancer survivor, former camper, volunteer, and CRG Board member. I was introduced to Camp at fourteen, shortly after I being diagnosed, and have been participating in CRG programs every year since. I am incredibly thankful for what Camp has brought into my life — the lifelong friendships with people who understood my cancer journey, the healing, the lessons learned, the support, and the memories.
Today, I work for a company called Secure Transfusion Services. We specialize in collecting platelets for hospitals and patients in need. Our mission is to restore hope, build trust, and improve quality of life through readily available and safe transfusion solutions. I am writing to my Camp family now to talk about an exciting project that STS is producing and have been lucky enough to partner with Camp Rainbow Gold.
Facing Today’s Platelet Shortage
As you may or may not know, we are facing an unprecedented shortage of blood products, with platelets being one of the most impacted. Secure Transfusion Services wants to bring awareness to the platelet shortage and the importance of donating.
Unfortunately, many people do not understand the importance of platelets until something happens to them or someone they love. As many of us impacted by cancer know, platelets are a crucial part of what we need in our fight. Right now, the reality is that during someone’s fight against cancer or other illnesses, they often have to wait for this life-saving product — and that wait can be extremely scary and even life-threatening.
At Secure Transfusion Services, we want to share stories of the people and families who have needed platelets. We hope to create real, meaningful connections for others to feel motivated to donate and save lives. It is crucial people understand the shortage and the impact they have when they make a donation. And that’s why I’m here now, asking my CRG family for your help!
We Need You
It was a natural connection to partner with CRG for this undertaking, as so many of us or our loved ones have needed platelets during a cancer battle. The CRG team and I are asking if you or your child received platelets while having cancer, that you’d be open to sharing your story. We’re hoping to interview a few camp families for an upcoming video on platelet shortage awareness.
You can see an example here of one micro-documentary that’s already been created.
Our hope is to inspire people by sharing your stories so they understand the importance of the shortage we are facing and how they can help.
If you are open to setting up an introductory meeting with our filmmaker, please click here and schedule a time that works for you. Or if you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@camprainbowgold.org.
Shine On, Camp Family!