An inspiring Olympic story

Although the Olympics took a backstage role over the Jubilee weekend, there was one inspiring story that caught my eye. On Tuesday, the Olympic torch made its way from Dublin to Belfast, stopping off en route in the Northern Irish city of Newry. As British cities go, Newry rarely makes the news, but the story of Ryan Cinnamond helped to thrust it briefly into the limelight.

Ryan is a 17 year old resident of Newry who suffered an aortic aneurism eighteen months ago and was given a 10% chance of survival. During the surgery that followed, Ryan received 64 litres of blood. It was a colossal effort to save a young life. Although he came through the surgery, the doctors were unable to save his legs.

As I prepared to head off to Scotblood this week, Ryan’s story has played on my mind and has been a reminder of the importance of blood donation. What chance would Ryan have had, had others not donated the 64 litres that saved his life? I may be heading off to Stirling to exhibit for Lorne – as laboratory equipment suppliers and manufacturers of laboratory reagents it is natural that we would be there – but I am reminded that our products play a role in such stories.

So it is also fitting that Ryan was chosen to represent the people of Newry in carrying the Olympic torch as it made its way through the city. Despite only being fitted with prosthetic legs a short time ago, the courageous youngster has amazed everyone with his determination and progress. He is surely an inspiration to everyone that donates blood, to the skills of the medical profession and to the people of his city.
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Don’t look, just yet!

When is a laboratory equipment supplier like Lorne most in need of laboratory equipment? Simple! When its very own laboratory is benefitting from massive new investment.

In recent months, Lorne has invested a huge amount of time, thought and money into ensuring that its manufacturing laboratory is a state of the art facility. I haven’t been down to look at it yet – I have been able to hear the work going on downstairs and I have been listening to the tales of gleaming glass, sparkling steel and a host of cutting edge technology being installed.

There is a part of me that wants to go down and see it all as it develops. And yet, there is another part of me that wants to see it all in its finished state. I guess I am going to have to be patient. The last thing anyone downstairs needs right now is a nosy marketer getting in the way. The whole project is just part of a wave of investment taking place at present – all designed to ensure that Lorne remains ahead of the game and deserving of its worldwide reputation as a manufacturer of high quality, stable wet reagents.

And did I mention kits? We do them as well. And laboratory equipment. Did I mention that we were laboratory equipment suppliers? No? Well, we are laboratory equipment suppliers too. There! I think that just about covers it.
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A Warming Winter’s Tale

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It is very cold here in the UK at present. As you know, Lorne are laboratory equipment suppliers, including refrigeration solutions for blood banks so we know a thing or two about keeping things cold. But just because I work for Lorne doesn’t make me a fan of this freezing weather.

It is somewhat ironic that the fridge that we take to exhibitions effectively goes into hibernation in winter. There is something quaint about the idea that the fridge is wrapped up and rested during the cold winter months. When Spring finally arrives and the first exhibition comes around, it will be unwrapped and brought back to life.

We exhibit in the UK as laboratory equipment suppliers. Those who have visited us on our stand will have seen our fridge. In recent times, the fridge has accommodated a host of little teddy bears – which could be liberated for a small donation to the ‘Children with Leukaemia’ charity. We are just about to send a cheque for several hundred pounds to the charity and our thanks go to all those who took a teddy home with them. That’s a tale of warmth to share in the midst of such a cold winter.

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Camels (again) and monkeys too!

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So, I finished another week at Lorne and I met up with friends for some hard-earned rest and relaxation. ‘I read the blog entry about the camel’, my friend piped up. ‘I thought you guys were laboratory equipment suppliers… what’s with the camel story?’

‘We do more than just laboratory equipment’, I retorted. ‘We make blood grouping reagents – you know, to tell you what blood groups you belong to.’

‘Camels don’t store water in their humps’, another friend suggested. ‘They actually store water in their blood’. We were back to camels again. ‘Can you tell what blood group a camel belongs to?’

Anyway, the next half hour is all about blood groups. They had heard of the ABO blood groups but it all started turning pear-shaped when I mentioned the Rhesus blood groups. ‘Now you’ve moved from camels to monkeys’, the first friend pointed out, helpfully. I explained that the Rhesus blood groups were indeed connected to the monkeys of the same name. A simple conversation about blood groups had become invaded by camels and monkeys. How could I stop them thinking I am working at a zoo?

‘Have I ever told you that we are laboratory equipment suppliers?’ 

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