Carlsbad never ceases to amaze. With a generous spirit and a willing heart, dozens and dozens of people came to the Village on February 10th for the inaugural Heart of the Village Blood Drive sponsored by the Carlsbad Village Association. The result? Forty-nine pints of blood!
With live classic rock by the Flying Mangos playing in the background at Choice Juicery, we heard stories from donors whose lives had been touched by the need for blood transfusions. One of our volunteers was an organ recipient who needed 27 blood transfusions, comprising over 100 pints of blood, to stay alive. One donor was born 35 years ago weighing less than two pounds and needed three life-saving transfusions. He was a Power Red donor on Saturday meaning that he donated two pints of blood, double the usual amount. And the heart-warming stories continued.
Mayor Matt Hall showed up early Saturday morning, as the event’s first walk-in appointment, and proceeded to become a Power Red donor. The City of Carlsbad sent a fire engine and some very gracious members of the department to say thank you to our community. Even City staff came by to say hello and thank you.
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. On behalf of the San Diego Blood Bank, the CVA board of directors, and its volunteers, we would like to thank everyone who came out and spent the day with us and donated so generously. We are looking forward to repeating this event and making even more of a difference in the lives of others.