NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Blood shortages continue to impact Middle Tennessee hospitals as Blood Assurance reports critically low supplies, with less than a day's worth of O-negative blood remaining.
The nonprofit organization, which handles blood donation efforts in the region, says very few eligible donors actually give blood despite the life-saving impact donations have on patients like 13-year-old Kaemey Young from Shelbyville.
Kaemey was diagnosed with leukemia last November. Since then, she and her family travel to TriStar Centennial's Children's Hospital at least once a week for treatments.
"I found out in my school parking lot. It was definitely hard and I was scared," Kaemey said.
The transition from playing multiple basketball games to regular hospital visits marked a dramatic change for the 8th grader. Her mother, Kayla Young, says the diagnosis came as a shock.
"Shock is an understatement. She played multiple basketball games the week that lead up to her diagnosis," Kayla said.
During treatments, Kaemey receives blood transfusions that provide immediate relief and strength.
"Like you come in and you can hardly walk and by the time you leave you just feel like a different person," Kaemey said. "I'm grateful, I'm just so thankful for it."
The Young family recently participated in a Blood Assurance blood drive held in Kaemey's honor, hoping to encourage others to donate.
"We want to show everyone that it is truly a bag of hope of another fight, another dose of strength," Kayla said.
Donor Tami Weis, who has O-negative blood, understands the urgency of the situation. O-negative is considered the universal blood type because it can be given to anyone.
"O negative is universal so I can give to anyone," Weis said.
Weis plans to donate as soon as possible.
"To save lives, to save the families," Weis said.
The Young family expresses deep gratitude to all blood donors who have helped Kaemey during her treatment.
"We are forever grateful for each of Kaemey's donors. If I could hug them I would, but if I could just tell them thank you," Kayla said.
To encourage donations during this critical shortage, Blood Assurance is offering incentives. Donors with O-negative blood will receive a $50 gift card through October 10. Additionally, anyone who donates blood this month could win a $500 gift card.
Have you or someone you know been impacted by blood shortages at Middle Tennessee hospitals? Share your story and learn more about how blood donations save lives like Kaemey's by contacting kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com. Watch the full video to see Kaemey's inspiring journey and discover how you can help address this critical shortage in our community.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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