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Community comes together to help Kaedyn |
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 Kaedyn Ballew, pictured left, with his Aunt Amber Clements in the hospital.
Little Kaedyn Ballew of Ocala seemed to be one step ahead of the curve of expectations. When it came to size, he was in the 98th percentile. At nine months he was walking, at 10 months he was running and starting to talk.
“He’s been a perfectly health kid,” said his father, Nick Ballew. “He never even had a cold.”
But in late July that changed. Nick and his wife, Shelsie Stevens Ballew, noticed Kaedyn’s cheeks seemed to be swollen and he seemed irritable. A trip the doctor brought a diagnosis of mumps.
But one more trip to the doctor and two trips to the emergency room brought different news. Their healthy son was extremely sick with leukemia. He was taken immediately to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he received transfusions of red blood cells and platelets. He underwent a blood transfer, where blood that was overloaded with white blood cells was taken from Kaedyn’s body and replaced with blood from donors. Chemotherapy also started. Nick said he didn’t realize the importance of blood donation for cancer patients.
“This is all pretty new to us,” he said.
Since then family and friends have stopped by LifeSouth’s donor center at 1607 E. Silver Springs Blvd. and have donated in his honor. Nick explained it’s not so much about giving specifically for Kaedyn, but giving for all those who will need it in the future.
“The blood Kaedyn used was donated before he even got to the hospital,” Nick said. “Donating is a good thing all around.”
An additional complication is the family is without health insurance. Nick had started a new job, but there was a two-month gap between the insurance starting. The family has set up a Web site, http://kaedynlove.com/ that tracks Kaedyn’s day-to-day progress and where donations can be made to help pay for the care. Meanwhile, the focus is on getting Kaedyn better.
“We’re very hopeful,” Nick said.
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Welcome to LifeSouth Community Blood Centers! |
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LifeSouth Community Blood Centers is a community blood supplier for local hospitals in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. LifeSouth is committed to meeting the blood supply needs of these hospitals in each of the communities we serve by providing the highest quality blood components and services.
Each year, nearly five million Americans need a blood transfusion. To meet our responsibility, we need to collect 305,000 blood donations a year. That’s 836 donors a day. With over 34 donor centers, 42 blood mobiles and over 1,000 blood drives a month, our LifeSouth team is committed to making sure the blood is there when you or your family member is in need. We are your community blood center. The blood supply collected from our donors directly serves the needs of patients at over 120 medical facilities throughout our footprint. The blood donated here will stay in our community for local patient transfusions. Only if our local supply is met will LifeSouth share our blood resources with other communities.
There are no substitutes for blood. Volunteering to give blood is giving the gift of life to patients who need transfusions. We hold this gift with the highest regard. Please consider becoming a part of our community’s blood supply by donating blood with LifeSouth. |
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Donor Kiosk
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Click here to enter the Donor Kiosk and review your cholesterol results and donation history. |
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