Donations save lives — the story behind the upcoming blood drive at the Annual Florida Bar Convention
'As people donate, I think they should think of someone — a loved one, a friend, or a family member who is no longer with them — and dedicate that donation to them'
FRP Enrichment Committee Co-Chair Rebecca Schriver donates blood to honor the memory her sister, who died of cancer, and to honor the late Alexa Muffley Holt, pictured above with her husband and daughters, who had been a close friend of Schriver’s daughter, Kelsey, since childhood. Holt had glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer. Given a prognosis of six to eight months to live, “donations of blood and platelets every day from strangers kept her on this earth with her little girls and her husband for 18 more months,” says Schriver.
Rebecca Schriver is excited that the Bar is partnering with One Blood for this year’s Annual Florida Bar Convention next week in Boca Raton. Her goal is to personally donate 20 gallons this year.
Schriver, co-chair of the Florida Registered Paralegal Enrichment Committee, plans to get closer to her goal when she attends the blood drive the committee is sponsoring at the One Blood Big Red Bus on Friday, June 27 between 9 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. outside the Mizner Center.
It’s an ongoing need.
“A former committee member’s husband required blood donations, and a current member is battling cancer and has needed both blood and platelet donations,” says Schriver of Foerster, Isaac & Yerkes in Jacksonville.
Walk-ins are welcome and setting an appointment is recommended.
Having the Big Red Bus at the convention was Schriver’s idea. She is keenly aware of the need for donations, having experienced it twice with her own family and friends.
She began donating as a college student at the urging of one of her professors, who pointed out “there is no substitute for blood; it can’t be manufactured. It is a life-saving gift that only we can provide. We can help another person live another day with a simple 10-to-15-minute donation.”
Rebecca Schriver
“As people donate, I think they should think of someone — a loved one, a friend, or a family member who is no longer with them — and dedicate that donation to them,” says Schriver.
Schriver donates to honor two people — her sister, Sharon Miller and Alexa Muffley Holt, a young woman who grew up with her own daughter, Kelsey, and was like a family member. Both passed away from cancer.
“Blood and platelet transfusions are a critical part of cancer patients’ care,” says Schriver.
Her sister was helped tremendously by donated blood and platelets before finally losing her battle with colon cancer the night before her 49th birthday, she says.
Holt was a young mother when she went to the emergency room for a migraine and was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Given a prognosis of six-to-eight months to live, “donations of blood and platelets every day from strangers kept her on this earth with her little girls and her husband for 18 more months,” says Schriver.
It takes about 45 minutes to donate a pint of blood, including filling out forms, getting a quick health check, and resting up after the 10-minute donation procedure.
Schriver donates platelets, even though it takes longer — around two hours — because she says they are crucial for people who have certain blood disorders or are receiving treatment for cancer.
OneBlood sends donors an email when their platelets are matched for donation listing the facility it is being sent to.
“When you get that email, you know that you have helped a person that needs the platelets immediately,” said Schriver. “One of my recent platelet donations was a match for a patient at a children’s hospital, which was very humbling.”
To schedule your donation at the Annual Florida Bar Convention, visit oneblood.org/donate-now and enter sponsor code 77518 in the search field.
