Shay Gaskins, Concord 3rd grade teacher shares her story and asks for your consideration in participating in the Concord Blood Drive:
Donating blood can save lives in our community, including my one-and-a-half-year-old daughter’s if she ever gets seriously ill. Joanna, like my husband, has a blood disorder called Hereditary Spherocytosis, which causes her red blood cells to be sphere-shaped and prone to destruction. While my husband had his spleen removed as a child, Joanna is too young for that option. If she gets sick, her spleen could attack not just the virus but also her red blood cells, potentially leading to severe anemia. Thankfully, she’s healthy, and we haven’t needed a blood transfusion, but for families like ours, donated blood is a vital lifeline - one that has already saved my husband. Please consider giving to help those in need.