Blood Drive In Honor Of One Tough Oswego Panther

The following was provided by Tia Carr:"Heartland Blood Center will host a blood drive in honor of a Connor Robinson on April 20 from 3:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Oswego High School. In 2010 at the age of 9, Connor Robinson was diagnosed with ALL, the same type of leukemia that his sister, Faith, had been diagnosed with a little less than 2 years earlier. He underwent intensive chemotherapy and received multiple blood transfusions. Connor breezed through his treatment and continued life as a normal 3rd grader. However, in 2014, Connor suffered a rare form of relapse in the Central Nervous System, and the leukemia was attacking his brain. Connor was hospitalized for 47 days; he received a variety of blood transfusions during this time. The best way to treat Connor's leukemia was for him to undergo a Stem Cell Transplant, which Connor received on March 4, 2015. "None of this would have been possible without the help and generosity of others who have supported Connor through his battle. Please consider donating blood, it just might prove to be the difference between life and death for a patient like Connor," says Crystal Robinson, Connor's mother. The blood drive coordinator, Tia Carr, has been coordinating blood drives in the community since 2008. Carr has organized a total of 24 blood drives in order to bring awareness to the great need of blood products locally. Carr personally receives blood infusions on a regular basis, and she was inspired to host drives as a thirteen-year-old, due to the lack of blood in her hospital. “Initially, I was scared to have blood drives in my honor because I didn’t want the community to know me as the sick girl; however, I was willing to risk my reputation because I knew so many other patients could benefit from these drives too,” says Carr. "Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood," according to Heartland Blood Center. “The Oswego Community has empowered me to keep fighting by always supporting me at my drives, so I wanted to give another student, Connor Robinson, that same hope,” says Carr. Although Connor has faced several obstacles in his recovery over the past two years, Connor is now a sophomore at Oswego High School. He is a member of the basketball team and is an avid Panther fan! Come support Connor Robinson and Tia Carr by donating blood.

Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-7TO-GIVE or by emailing tiacarr3@gmail.com. Walk-ins are always welcome. Please enter through door 11. The address of Oswego High School is 4250 IL-71, Oswego, IL 60543."

Photo provided by Tia Carr