Cancer Survivor, Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Host Barrington Blood Drive November 23
Although separated by 10 years, Barrington's Carter Bailey and Max Lewis are on a mission to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation and the Be the Match Bone Marrow Registry.
Bailey, a cancer survivor, and Lewis, a stem cell transplant recipient, will join forces with Vitalant to host the third annual CarterStrong & Max's Mission Blood Drive and Be the Match Marrow Registry Event on Saturday, November 23, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, 22222 North Pepper Rd., in Lake Barrington.
All donors will receive a voucher for a free pint of custard courtesy of Culver's through its 'Give a Pint, Get a Pint' partnership with Vitalant.
CarterStrong
Carter Bailey's high school years were moving in the right direction. But that all came to a crashing halt when, in 2014, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), sending both his and his family's life into a tailspin. At the time, Carter was a Barrington High School senior.
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 24-year-old Indiana University graduate.
Grateful for the more than 60 units of blood and platelets he received during his treatment, not to mention the life-saving bone marrow transplant, Carter and his family have been hosting blood drive for more than five years.
Max's Mission
Max Lewis was also enjoying the life that any parent would wish for their child until he was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a failure of his bone marrow, when he was just 11 years old. Fortunately, a bone marrow match for Max was discovered, thanks to a young man living outside Columbus, Ohio, and a stem cell transplant was performed in April of 2017.
Max received blood and platelet transfusions following the procedure and today is thriving as a 8th grader at Prairie Middle School in Barrington, where he competes for the school soccer team.
"The blood and platelet donations played a crucial role in Max's treatment. It's only due to the generosity of volunteer donors that we are fortunate to have our young boy back living the life that every child is supposed to enjoy," said mom Lisa Lewis, who volunteers as a Lurie's Children's Hospital patient advocate, assisting families whose children are needing bone marrow transplants.
While walk-ins are always welcome, all are encouraged to schedule an appointment to donate at the CarterStrong & Max's Mission Blood & Marrow Registry Drive by calling (877) 258-4825, emailing bailey60010@gmail.com, or visiting www.vitalant.org and searching for Group Code 384D.
In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification. The donation appointment takes about an hour (with the donation itself only around ten minutes) and is both safe and comfortable. Donors must be at least 18 years old (16 and 17 years of age with parental consent).
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. That's why it's so important to continuously replenish the supply. Blood has a shelf life of 42 days for red blood cells and just five days for platelets. Although an estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, less than 10 percent do. And even with scientific advances being made in laboratories across the world every day, there still remains no substitute for blood.