Tag Archives: Give Blood

Brought Back to Life by Blood Donations

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Latrese Fowler with her son Cameron when he was young

When Latrese Fowler found out her newborn son didn’t inherit sickle cell disease, she was so overjoyed that she had a celebration. “We had a party when we found out he doesn’t have sickle cell. We went to Las Vegas!” she remembers.

Twenty-six years later, Latrese is mom to grownup Cameron, and you can hear the pride in her voice as she describes his job as a utility locator. She is grateful her son was spared a lifetime of pain and hundreds of hospital visits treating sickle cell disease and its complications. It’s an experience she knows about firsthand.

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One woman’s road to blood donation supporter begins with a 30-person carpool

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When newlywed Mary Nelson, her husband and about 30 friends met in a Bay Area parking lot one Saturday morning in 1969 to carpool to a blood donation center, little did she know it would lead to a life-long journey dedicated to donating blood.  That journey has provided her with a deep, personal belief in the power of donating.

Mary’s story starts at a popular diner in Alameda, California which Mary and her husband frequented weekly.  One day, they discovered that the diner’s well-liked chef needed emergency kidney surgery.  He required almost 10 pints of blood.  As Mary explains, the chef “had to either pay for the blood or replace it, two pints donated for each used.  So, we got organized.  My husband called the blood bank to see if they did group appointments and scheduled a Saturday. And the bar put up a signup sheet.”

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