I met James Harrison through a mutual friend\/colleague, Christy Newman, when discussing setup for a blood drive. Christy and I go back about 15 years (or more), and we were working to plan a blood drive at Arconic. In the process of planning, I mentioned looking for local leaders to serve on our advisory committee meeting, and she suggested James Harrison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After that first meeting, I was so grateful to have met James. His story about donating blood and the importance of those products for his children was so compelling that I knew we had to take action at MEDIC. We began writing a grant that would provide funding for outreach specific to diverse donor populations. James and I created a presentation and have since spoken to multiple local organizations and community groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James and I make a great team. I will give a history of MEDIC and why donating is important for everyone. Then James begins talking about his family and how blood transfusions are key to pain management and quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve learned so much from James and from our friends at the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee. I continue to learn more about Sickle Cell Disease each week, and I feel so fortunate to be part of this effort. This isn\u2019t just important to me as a member of the MEDIC team but as a mother of two children. I would do anything for them, and I would certainly advocate for treatment if they had a lifelong disease with no cure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That brings me to the present day and #OneDadCan. I am a runner and a lifelong advocate for running and healthy lifestyles. When James called with the idea, I was ecstatic. I\u2019ve been part of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon Organizing Committee since the second year of the event. And as a disclosure, you should know that my husband is the Director of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James\u2019s commitment to health and wellness, running the half marathon, and having a goal of 10,000 donations is so very exciting. We\u2019re off to a good start, and I think we\u2019ll be able to reach that goal by April 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James isn\u2019t asking for money (although Sickle Cell Disease research is under-funded). He is asking for you to donate blood products now and in the future. It\u2019s an hour of your time to donate whole blood. That one hour of your time will give a regional patient more time. Every donation extends or saves the life of a patient. Every. Single. Donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m ramping up my running mileage to be able to run the half distance close to April 7. And I\u2019ll be at that finish line on April 7 to cheer James in. And when I do, we\u2019ll be able to announce that he reached his goal. Join us in this adventure and help raise awareness around Sickle Cell Disease and blood donation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I met James Harrison through a mutual friend\/colleague, Christy Newman, when discussing setup for a blood drive. Christy and I go back about 15 years (or more), and we were working to plan a blood drive at Arconic. In the process of planning, I mentioned looking for local leaders to serve on our advisory committee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-one-dad-can"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n