One of the greatest tragedies is when a young person’s life is taken away when they are in their prime. Recently, Ross Medical Education Center in Roosevelt Park, Michigan lost one of their own. To honor the memory of Earaysha Hudgins, a student in the Ross Dental Assistant program, the Roosevelt Park campus came together to host a blood drive in association with Michigan Blood. The campus was told that if they reached their minimum goal of 15 donors, Michigan Blood would donate $10 to the family of Earaysha for each person who donated during the drive.
Every two seconds, someone needs blood. Although today you may be the healthy donor, someday it could be you, or someone you love, that needs a donation. In order to ensure that area hospitals have enough blood for everyone who needs it, Michigan Blood needs to collect 2,400 blood donations every week throughout the year. Ross Medical Education Center in Roosevelt Park decided to help to meet this need by sponsoring a blood drive in their Medical Assistant program clinic classroom. During the time leading up to the drive, 26 people registered to donate. On the day of the blood drive, 20 were able to donate. That means that Michigan Blood made a donation to Earaysha’s family of $10 per person who donated for a total of $200.
For many students, it was a day of remembering their friend and classmate, “Earaysha was a very hard worker,” shared Brittany Powell. “She cared so much for her family and everything she did was for her children. She is missed every day. I miss her loud laugh and her beautiful smile.” Another student agreed saying, “Earaysha was the type of person to bring out the best in anyone. Her laugh was contagious and there was never a dull moment with her. She made coming to class easier. One that that was evident is the love she had for her children. You could see it in her determination to finish this program and make a difference. I watched her put her heart and soul into being herself, and I will forever have the utmost respect for her. She was trying, and that’s all that matters. She was a beautiful soul, and will be forever missed.”