This month would have been Connie’s 60th birthday. Her biggest goal during cancer treatment was to reach this milestone birthday. Sadly, that didn’t happen, and we’ve spent the last 4 years without her.

Connie was incredibly generous, and to carry on her spirit of giving we want to do something selfless to mark the occasion. So, in honor of her 60th birthday, we’re searching for at least 60 people to donate blood platelets.

Platelets are fragments in the blood that form clots. During chemotherapy it’s common for a patient’s platelet count to drop below the acceptable range to continue treatment. When that happens it also causes intense fatigue. Connie received several transfusions when her platelet count was too low, and those transfusions helped not only improve her quality of living but also extend her life. We were incredibly thankful for those donors, and we hope you’ll consider paying it forward with us.

You can find your nearest Red Cross platelet donation center using the ‘Pledge to Give Blood’ button above.
–> After registering, be sure to click ‘Refine Search’ to filter by date and PLATELET donation type!
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Unlike whole blood donation, platelet donation requires a special machine and the process can take 2-3 hours at a dedicated donation center. Most of your blood and plasma is returned to you during the process. You can read more about the process and different types of blood donations here (https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/types-of-blood-donations.html).

*If you need to modify your donation appointment after you register your pledge through this campaign, you can do that directly through the Red Cross website at redcrossblood.org.

Because the process uses a special machine, only certain donation centers accommodate platelet donations and space is often limited, so register for a time slot in advance. If you have questions about the donation process, feel free to ask Karen. As an added bonus (and serendipitous if you ask us!), the Red Cross is giving away Peanuts-themed shirts to people who donate during April. The Peanuts were Connie’s favorite, and especially Snoopy. Learn more here (https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/events/peanuts.html).
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If you’d like to celebrate Connie in other ways, we encourage random acts of kindness or a monetary donation to a cause that’s important to you. Buy yourself some tulips this month in her honor, play a round of golf, and take a moment on April 19th to let your family and friends know that you love them.

If you’re not able to donate platelets (and even if you are able), please share this drive with friends and family so we can reach our goal. You can copy the URL or use the share links above.