After battling leukemia, Barrington's Carter Bailey hosts blood drive Nov. 19
Carter Bailey's high school years were moving in the direction you'd wish for any young man. But that all came to a crashing halt when, in 2014, the Barrington High School senior was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, sending both his and his family's life into a tailspin.
Thankfully, several chemotherapy treatments, followed by a fortunate bone marrow match and eventual transplant, proved successful. And while Carter missed what would have been his freshman year of college, he is now thriving as a 21-year-old sophomore at Indiana University in Bloomington.
When he comes home this Thanksgiving break, Carter, his family, and LifeSource will host the CarterStrong Blood & Bone Marrow Registry Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, 22222 N. Pepper Road in Lake Barrington.
"We like hosting the drive once a year, around Thanksgiving," says mom Celeste Bailey. "Two of the things we are most thankful for are Carter's good health and very bright future."
Thankful for the more than 60 units of blood and platelets he received during his treatment, not to mention the life-saving bone marrow match, Carter is active in Indiana's "Be the Match on Campus" program, which strives to recruit students into the National Bone Marrow Registry.
"We're very blessed," adds Celeste. "There's no better way to give thanks than to try and help somebody else, because we were helped when our son needed it."
All donors will receive a coupon for a free pint of Culver's frozen custard as part of its "Give a Pint, Get a Pint" program, courtesy of Culver's of Lake Zurich and Culver's restaurants of Chicagoland.
To make an appointment, call (877) 543-3768 or visit LifeSource.org and search group code 384D. Appointments are suggested but walk-ins are always welcome. Donors must be at least 18 years old (16 and 17 years of age with parental consent). In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification.