LEANDER, Texas — KVUE is partnering with We Are Blood and the City of Leander to host a regional blood drive in an effort to fill the need for donations ahead of the holiday season.
The "Love Leander: KVUE Cares Blood Drive" will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the City of Leander Activity Center, located at 11880 Hero Way W Suite 600. The drive will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organizers are hoping dozens of donors will come out to help meet the daily demand for local patients. Donors will receive a limited edition "Love Leander" T-shirt in exchange for their donation.
We are Blood said the holiday season can be a challenging time for blood donations because of business and school closures, travel and social commitments. But the need for blood transfusions persists and often increases.
"We are grateful for our partners, the City of Leander and KVUE, for hosting this lifesaving event to kick off the holiday season," said Nick Canedo, We Are Blood’s vice president of community engagement. "Every donation made will help protect local patients right here in Central Texas."
KVUE Daybreak spoke with a few longtime donors about why they feel it's important to donate.
Kathy Petheram has been giving blood and platelets for 23 years. She comes in about once every other week. She said she had no idea how much she had donated over the past two decades until she looked it up – and the result was 476 units!
Petheram said for her, donating is personal.
"Platelets are used for a lot of things, but for me, it's the fact that it's used for cancer patients," she said. "Our oldest granddaughter had leukemia when she was two years old. And I knew that she used a lot of platelets. So that made sense to me to donate platelets."
Petheram's granddaughter, Megan, is now doing just fine. She's in her 20s, married, owns her own business and now also gives back to the fight against cancer.
Petheram said she'll keep giving platelets "as long as they let me."
Ben Whitsett is also a regular donor at We Are Blood. He said he donates about every eight or nine weeks, and he's been doing it for years.
According to We Are Blood, one donation can save three lives. That means, in theory, Whitsett has saved more than 20 lives – every year.
"It's not totally altruistic, 'cause I benefit from it as well – the snacks are awesome," Whitsett joked.
Whitsett has O+ blood, meaning he can donate to all positive types.
Mike Vespar, on the other hand, chooses to donate platelets because his blood type is pretty common.
You can donate platelets 24 times a year, and Vespar has been at We Are Blood 24 times this year. A donor for decades, in all, he's donated 85 gallons.
His blood type is A+, the second most common type of blood. That's why he chooses to donate platelets.
"They've got plenty of A+ blood. If I do platelets, I can do that 24 times a year. And platelets are only good for about five days, so there is a constant demand for those," he said.
Vespar said donating isn't hard for him and he uses the time to read science fiction and watch TV, then runs errands at nearby shops when he's done.
Because the Love Leander: KVUE Cares Blood Drive will be held in Leander, KVUE Daybreak also spoke with Mayor DeLisle about the importance of donating blood and platelets during the holiday season:
You can schedule a donation appointment with We Are Blood online or by calling 512-206-1266. Check appointment availability for the Love Leander: KVUE Cares Blood Drive.