BY KERRY MARSH
Enquirer Contributor
ANDERSON TOWNSHIP -- On Dec. 5, 1995, John Geoppinger donated one of his kidneys to save the life of his younger sister.
Next month, Mr. Geoppinger will step on a bicycle in California with the hope of persuading others to make the same sacrifice.
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TO HELP
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Hoxworth Blood Center will have a send-off blood drive and cookout for the two riders from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Saturn of Beechmont, 8549 Beechmont Ave.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 100 pounds and be in good health. For more information, or for questions about blood donation, call 451-0910 or (800) 830-1091.
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Mr. Geoppinger, of Newtown, joined by Mount Washington resident Fred Zuck and 12 other cyclists from around the country, will pedal for 44 days this fall in the second annual Five Points of Life bike ride, covering 3,000 miles from Los Angeles to St. Augustine, Fla.
"As bad as it was for my sister, she was very lucky," said Mr. Geoppinger, 31. "It is worse for people who don't have a sibling that is a match, and I want to show people that there really is a need for organ and blood donation."
All of the cyclists in the ride, sponsored by a volunteer blood center in Gainesville, Fla., have been touched in some way by blood donation services. Two are Oklahoma residents who helped with rescue efforts in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, while another, from Alabama, suffered near-fatal injuries in a 1996 plane crash.
"For me, this is a great opportunity to do something that most people will never have the chance to do," said Mr. Zuck, 33, apheresis coordinator for Hoxworth Blood Center.
The Five Points of Life theme emphasizes the different donation needs: whole blood, bone marrow, blood from the umbilical cord, apheresis (platelets), and organ and tissue donations.
"We need 300 volunteer donors a day to meet the Tristate's needs," said Marsha Terry, Hoxworth's director of communications. "This is the one kind of volunteering where you could save four lives in less than an hour of your time."
From Sept. 4 through Oct. 18, the cycling group will host blood drives in 40 cities along the route, from Las Vegas to Enid, Okla., and ride coordinator Karen Guidi said they hope to collect 1 million blood donations.
"This was inspired by a policeman who had a blood transfusion and went to blood drives to be a living example of why we need blood," said Ms. Guidi.
"Maybe somebody along the way will listen and it will eventually make a difference. That's our hope."
