Until you know somebody who has receive a blood transfusion, it is tough to wrap your head around just how big of an impact the simple act of donating blood makes. But once you have received a transfusion yourself or have experienced first hand the impact it has made on someone in your life, you get it.
Whether you want to take credit for it or not, donating blood literally makes you somebody’s hero! You may never meet the person whose life you made such a profound impact on, but on another hand, maybe you will…
Depending on how long you have been with LAGSD, you may or may not know the story of our very own Travis the Warrior. Travis’ story illustrates the massive importance of blood donations, and the very reason why we have partnered with the San Diego Blood Bank to host the Coastal Classic Blood Drive.
Don’t know Travis’ story? We’ll let you hear it from the man himself…..
8 HOURS is how long it takes to receive a transfusion. I know because I had to do this 4 times in 2013 when I was only 10 years old. My name is Travis the Warrior and I am a brain cancer survivor! Prior to cancer, I was a competitive soccer player with Carlsbad Wave BU10 and held the position of defender. Like many of the other kids in the club, I lived and breathed soccer! I had great teammates and we enjoyed traveling around playing games. All that came to a screeching halt when I started getting sick and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. After many tests and doctor’s visits, an MRI showed that I had a brain tumor and I had brain surgery the next day at Rady Children’s Hospital. The operation was a success, but because the tumor turned out to be cancer, I had many treatments that followed. My family and I traveled to Houston, Texas so that I could receive 6 weeks of proton radiation at MD Anderson. After returning home from Texas, I started my 6 monthly rounds of chemotherapy at Rady Children’s Hospital. For each round, I was in the hospital for 4 to 5 days and then I had a lot of appointments and lab work during the few weeks before the start of the next round. After my second round of chemo, my blood counts were not coming back up as fast and it was determined that I would need a blood transfusion. This was also the case after my third, fourth and sixth rounds of chemo too. As the routine played out each month, I could tell prior to my labs when I was going to need a transfusion. I felt like I had no energy, I could barely walk, and it was like I was moving in slow motion. After receiving a transfusion, I felt stronger and ready to run a marathon. I am happy to say that I just celebrated being 5 Years Cancer Free!
45 MINUTES is all it takes to donate a pint of blood and save a life. 8 HOURS is how long it takes to receive a transfusion. I am very grateful to the people who donated blood for me.
See you on the field! Travis the Warrior
It’s stories like Travis’ that have inspired our club to partner with the San Diego Blood Bank, and we hope it will inspire others to get involved too!
The Coastal Classic Blood Drive will take place August 18 & 19 at Poinsettia Park from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sign up below and join us in an effort to save lives!
- Saturday, August 18: https://mysdbb.org/#/ScheduleAppointmentStep2/drive/42370
- Sunday, August 19: https://mysdbb.org/#/ScheduleAppointmentStep2/drive/42369
To learn more about giving blood and if you are eligible: https://www.sandiegobloodbank.org/donors/blood-donor-requirements
