LifeSource Blood Drive to Memorialize Bloomingdale Mom, Breast Cancer Victim Sept. 20 at Local Library

Chicagoland blood supplier LifeSource will honor the memory of Bloomingdale mom, wife and breast cancer victim Summer Lynch with a blood drive from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Bloomingdale Library, 101 Fairfield Way, Bloomingdale.

The mother of two succumbed to Triple Negative Breast (TNBC) Cancer in June. She originally beat the disease after nine months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed in September 2011. The cancer returned last March.

Inspired by her life, the Village of Bloomingdale declared June 6 as "Pay It Forward Day" in her memory. It asked its residents to do "good deeds" for others via random acts of kindness. The idea came from her mother, Jan White, who plans to compile these reported acts in an upcoming book.

Lynch was a Cloverdale Elementary School classroom assistant and volunteer librarian. She enjoyed reading and writing, loved Harry Potter, and even created a blog [link?] that detailed her battle with cancer.

"She had this way of telling something really tragic and making it funny," her mom says.

In accordance with Lynch's final wishes, she asked her loved ones to have a party instead of a "moping around" and having a large funeral service, says husband Michael Lynch. They held a party at Dave & Buster's.

"She wanted people to remember the good times," he says, "and not the end."

Appointments for the blood drive are preferred, but all walk-ins are welcome. Donors can schedule their appointment by calling LifeSource at (877) 543-3768 or visiting www.lifesource.org and using sponsor code 109G.

Along with hosting daily blood drives, LifeSource operates 19 community donor centers and four fixed sites with regular operating days and hours. In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification.