Kelly Gabrielsen was one of the most loving and compassionate people that we had the honor of knowing during her life journey. Personally, I was fortunate to have been her colleague and good friend for the past 7 years. The 2 trips that I made out to Colorado after her diagnosis are now some of the most special memories I will carry forward for the rest of my life.

During this time of sadness, I am looking for ways to fill the emptiness of her presence by doing good deeds that Kelly would love and support. The idea for a virtual blood drive in her honor came to me this past weekend.

I received a call from the American Red Cross on Saturday checking in on my upcoming blood donation appointment. I have been pushing it off for weeks with everything that was happening over the past 75 days between Kelly’s diagnosis and her passing. The representative asked if I would be willing to be a platelet donor instead of just a blood donor. I did not know what that meant exactly, so she explained that platelets are tiny cells in your blood that form clots and stop bleeding. For millions of Americans, they are essential to surviving and fighting cancer, chronic diseases, and traumatic injuries. At the mention of helping people fight cancer, I jumped at an appointment time over Memorial Day weekend.

And then I started to think about how others might be wanting to do something to honor Kelly’s memory. I contacted the Otto and the Colorado Crew, and they were in support of the idea of a virtual blood drive in Kelly’s honor.

Please join me in honoring Kelly by donating to the American Red Cross in any way you can. They are always looking for blood and platelet donations as well as financial assistance. You can sign-up online or download the mobile app.

Kelly’s BUD/S – Let us make our #girlboss proud and “Fight Like a Girl” to help those battling for their lives in honor of Kelly Gabrielsen.