Mission Monday Highlight!
St. James R-1 High School National Honor Society (NHS) holds two student blood drives per year during regular school days where students have the opportunity to stop by and donate blood. Recently, one student learned how the simple act of donating blood can truly save a life. Livi Herron, a senior and NHS member in St. James, donated blood during the Spring 2022 blood drive at the high school.
It wasn’t until July of 2022 that Livi learned the impact of that simple donation. She received an anonymous letter from the recipient sending thanks for her donation. The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks(CBCO) participates in a program called Thank-the-Donor, which allows people to send anonymous thank-you messages to the people who donated the blood they received during their treatment. The recipients typically never learn the donor’s identity, but Livi’s recipient, Audrey Yates, wanted to meet her personally to show her appreciation and chose to disclose her identity to tell her story about the impact of Livi’s blood donation.
Livi, along with the NHS sponsor Josh Adams and the NHS officers: Jake Wilson, Jordan Cairer, Silas Redburn, Heather Austin, and Caleb Adams, attended the annual Thankquet (Thank You Banquet) last week. This event allows the CBCO to recognize, celebrate, and honor the individuals and community partners who have supported their mission to serve local patients over the past year.
Audrey Yates, the recipient of Livi’s blood donation, was a featured guest at the event. Mrs. Yates had a life-threatening medical emergency in July of 2022 and received two blood transfusions, one of which came from Livi Herron's donation. Yates and Herron were able to meet in person at the Thankquet.
Thank you to NHS for the continued partnership with CBCO and to Livi Herron, whose selfless choice to donate blood was a perfect example of Living The Tiger Way!
For more information about Audrey Yates story:
http://www.cbco.org/audrey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU7a-4TzUZQ
#missionmonday #caringrelationships #communitypartnerships #stjschools #tigerpride