Earlier this month, students in the Medical Assistant program at Ross Medical Education Center in Kokomo, Indiana teamed up to host a blood drive at their campus. They put together the event and did all the work in honor of Taylor Ladd’s late mother Tina Brantley. Taylor Ladd started with Ross in the fall of 2016, and then life threw her a curveball and she was not able to finish. However, Taylor was determined to not give up.
So, in January of this year, Taylor came back more determined than ever before, and she brought a friend along with her! Then, during her second module, Taylor’s mother passed away unexpectedly. Even though she was devastated, she knew that her mom would want her to not give up. With that in mind, Taylor not only planned and attended her mother’s funeral, but she did without missing any school. In fact, she became more determined to see her education through than ever before.
A few weeks after the funeral, her classmates decided to host a blood drive on campus and then Taylor asked the American Red Cross if the event could be dedicated to her mother. With no hesitation the American Red Cross agreed. Then, the planning went into motion with the help of Taylor’s friend Brooklyn and other Ross students.
Toni Fox, a representative from the American Red Cross, was able to come to the campus and share with the students. She informed them of the need for blood donation saying, “every two seconds in the United States blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect nearly 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.”
The campus set their goal at 25 units of blood for the blood drive. They not only asked their students, staff, and faculty to give, but they also reached out to the community. They were able to bring in eight appointments from community members who have never been to Ross in addition to those from the campus. They then weathered all the rain and flooding and were able to get 26 units of blood, surpassing their goal! “Just one pint of donated blood can help save as many as three people’s lives,” said Toni Fox. The campus was thrilled to know that they were able to potentially save over 75 lives with their blood drive. “We did such a great job they have asked us to host another one in the fall,” shared Campus Director Shannon Spencer. “This was such a great way to help our community and to honor the legacy of Tina Brantley.”