Bloodworks 101
Started in 2020, Bloodworks 101 is an Anthem Award-winning, weekly podcast produced by Bloodworks Northwest, a Seattle-based blood bank and research center. It is the nation’s only regularly scheduled podcast in the blood banking industry. Episodes are designed to inspire and educate listeners to donate time, money or blood. On Bloodworks 101 you'll meet experts who can discuss everything from the importance of blood donation to trypanophobia (fear of needles). Emmy Award-winning producer John Yeager, is joined by a team of gifted storytellers; Helen Pitlick and Juan Cotto. In 2025, Bloodworks 101 won its sixth coveted Anthem Award, beating out more than 2,500 entries from 43 nations.
Episodes
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The Seahawks are the reigning NFL champions! Three months after Super Bowl LX, we’re still riding that high here in the Pacific Northwest. Major events are fun but come with a potential impact to the local blood supply. With the world’s largest sporting event — the FIFA World Cup — coming to Seattle and 15 other cities in June, Bloodworks 101 co-producer Helen Pitlick sat ...
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In the last five years, Bloodworks 101 has published more than 250 episodes. It's been downloaded more than 37,000 times. We've won six coveted Anthem Awards, beating out more than 2,000 entries from 42 countries. But we couldn't have done anything without you, our loyal listener. So for the last couple weeks, we've been republishing your Top Three favo...
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message
In the last five years, Bloodworks 101 has published more than 250 episodes. It's been downloaded more than 37,000 times. We've won six coveted Anthem Awards, beating out more than 2,000 entries from 42 countries. But we couldn't have done anything without you, our loyal listener. So for the last couple weeks, we've been republishing your Top Three favo...
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message
In the last five years, Bloodworks 101 has published more than 250 episodes. It's been downloaded more than 37,000 times. We've won six coveted Anthem Awards, beating out more than 2,000 entries from 42 countries. But we couldn't have done anything without you, our loyal listener. So for the next couple weeks, we'll be republishing your Top Three favori...
Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message
When 11-year-old Brody Hamilton stood at home plate, ready to run the bases before the Mariner's Home Opener on Thursday, March 26th, it was the end of a long battle with cancer. But as thousands of Mariner's fans like Bloodworks 101 Producer John Yeager would find out, there was one more challenge Brody would face. It was the one down the first baseline.
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During the pandemic, Bloodworks Northwest became keenly aware of the impact that a drop in blood donation from college students would have. Recently, we commissioned a study to look at that impact and how to do something about it. The woman in charge of the study, our own Claire Yang, sat down with Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager to discuss the study and take a hard lo...
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Thursday, March 26th, marks Opening Day for the Seattle Mariners. Some say this season begins with more hope than any Mariners' fan can remember. And that includes Trevor Gooby, the Marines Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. But Trevor also has hope that more people will heed the call to become blood donors. That's because Gooby is the Chair of...
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For most of us, breaking a toe is a painful inconvenience. For Josh McCullough, co-host of podcasts Murder in the Rain and Always Be My Sisters, it might have saved his life—along with Bloodworks donors and the cardiac surgery team at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. We sat down with Josh to talk about his heart surgery, the community connection of blood donation...
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With the Oscars coming up this Sunday, we felt celebrating the movies was in order. So, in this ENCORE EDITION of Bloodworks 101, host Helen Pitlick spoke to Bloodworks co-workers John Yeager and Bill Harper, along with Donor Center Collections Strategist Kyle Boynton about the power of cinema to connect us. As Helen discovered, these three lost themselves in the magic of ...
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In an emergency, every second counts. Last week on Bloodworks 101, Chief Scoggins of Seattle Fire Department mentioned one way that first responders save lives: by carrying whole blood on board Medic One vehicles to administer transfusions at the scene of a bleeding event.
But before this, police officers like Greg Schmidt used to turn on their sirens to get patients lifesa...
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February is Black History Month, a time set aside to honor the contributions Blacks have made in our community. But it's also a time to look ahead at the challenges before us. One prominent Black Seattlite is Harold Scoggins, Seattle's Fire Chief. As a first responder, Scoggins knows the importance of blood donation better than most. And now, as a newly appointed...
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What would you do if someone literally gave you a new lease on life? Now imagine if the number of people who gave you that lease was more than 200? On today's edition of Bloodworks 101, producer John Yeager introduces us to Hayley Resk who's literally "paying it forward" in Portland.
Link to the Solvita website: Solvita - From one, to many.
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This has been an epic week for Riq Woolen and the Seattle Seahawks! A few years ago, Riq took part in our "Young Bloods" blood donation awareness campaign. In honor of the Seahawks' championship season, here’s Bloodworks 101 host John Yeager’s interview with Riq from 2023.
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February marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, a time to reflect on the achievements and contributions made by Blacks in this nation. But as Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager found out, it's also a time to look at some "pretty sobering numbers" when it comes to Black Americans and blood donation. For today's editon of Bloodworks 101, Joh...
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What's holding you back from donating blood? Are you afraid of needles? Well, if you're uncomfortable around needles, this is the episode for you. Because as the donor in this edition of Bloodworks 101 found out, sometimes you can't even feel the donation when it actually starts. The donor's name is Brian Dunning, from Bend, Oregon. He's an award-w...
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Recently, Bloodworks Northwest awarded a free trip to one lucky donor. The destination? Tokyo. It was called "Donate and Win," all part of our "Music's in Our Blood" campaign. Producer John Yeager got a chance to speak with the winner who couldn't have picked a more fitting destination. It's a place she's dreamed of almost all her li...
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How is hip hop like blood donation? As Jace Ecaj (The Residency, Black Stax) and Giselle Lehmann (Bloodworks) explain, Where the Heart Lives, our high school and college education program, brings the two together in a meaningful and memorable way.
Learn more: https://wheretheheartlives.org/
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On December 15, 2025, Bloodworks' Renton facilities received a GO NOW evacuation order after a Green River levee failed and sent floodwaters into neighborhoods around Tukwila, Renton, and Kent. For Bloodworks' VP of Laboratory Operations Mike Charapata, the situation felt eerily familiar.
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If you listen to radio in the Pacific Northwest, there's a good chance you know the name John Richards. He's the Morning Show Host & Producer at Seattle's KEXP. Well, he's also a Bloodworks Northwest blood donor. And as Bloodworks 101 Producer John Yeager found out, there's a good reason why. It has to do with "walking the talk."
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Lynn and John Tissell met at church — but that's just how it started. They fell in love through blood donation. As Bloodworks 101 co-producer Helen Pitlick shares, theirs is a story that will make the hearts of even the grinchiest Bloodworks 101 listeners grow three sizes.
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