Samantha “Sammi” Palmieri (pictured above, right) has thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder where the body makes an abnormal form or inadequate amount of hemoglobin.
As part of her treatment at Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, Sammi receives frequent blood transfusions. It’s beneficial for her to know those who donate blood for her transfusions so she does not develop antibodies.
So, one of our oncology nurses, Emily Perry (pictured above, left) and our lead medical assistant, Alison Trebus-Eastman (pictured above, middle) are among those donating blood for Sammi.
“It was important to me to donate my blood to Sammi because I know she depends on blood transfusions to survive and thrive,” Alison shares. “I will continue to donate as long as I can to help those in need. Not only am I helping Sammi, I have also gained a friend.”
Emily expands on this, saying, “being a direct donor increases a patient’s quality of life, which is our ultimate goal as health care workers. We see our patients so frequently and learn so much about them, they become family. If I can help in any way to make our patient’s lives easier and healthier, I will.”
Emily adds, “Sammi was one of my first patients as an oncology nurse, so she holds a special place in heart. It felt very rewarding to help her. It makes me so happy to know that I can help make Sammi’s journey easier in such a personal way.”
Christine Smoot, regional nurse manager for medical oncology and medical infusion in our Youngstown market, is proud of her team members for going the extra mile to help a patient.
“I always knew that Alison and Emily were a huge part of our amazing staff,” she says. “When I heard about them donating their own blood for Samantha, it spoke volumes. Their actions demonstrate the commitment to our community and willingness to go above and beyond to make a difference. What a remarkable act of giving.”
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