Hi, my name is Viola and I’m 12 years old.

I’m doing this because I love my Tita more than anything. She’s my grandma, but we call her Tita. Right now, she’s fighting pancreatic cancer. She has to go through chemo, and sometimes she needs blood to keep going.

I can’t give blood yet (I’m too young), but I want to help. I want to do something, because sometimes I feel really helpless just watching her go through this. That’s why I started a virtual blood drive with the American Red Cross called “Sleeves Up For Tita.”

My goal is to get 100 people to roll up their sleeves and donate blood — not just for Tita, but for everyone who’s fighting like she is. Cancer patients need blood all the time, and your one donation could help up to 3 people. That’s kind of amazing for something that takes less than an hour of your day.

If you’ve ever loved someone so much you just wanted to do anything to help… this is your chance.

Please pledge for Tita and make an appointment at your nearest Red Cross donation center.

After you donate, tell someone! Share it, post it, or just know that: “This one’s for Tita.”

Let’s show her (and everyone out there) that there’s a whole army of people standing beside her.

She’s a retired Army nurse — she’s spent her whole life helping other people, not being a patient. In fact she is good at so many things, but being a patient is not one of them. She loves to sew, and even now, going through all this, she’s made me and my two sisters party dresses to wear for my Bat Mitzvah this summer.

So now it’s my turn to try and mend something.
To stitch a little hope together.
To help her the way she’s spent her life helping others.

Please, roll up your sleeve for her — for Tita.

Love,
Viola Folkenflik

Thank you for helping me feel less helpless. And thank you for helping my Tita. 💜