SAN ANTONIO – The reminiscences of Mike Gallegos Jr. hold his household sturdy, even by means of the heartache of dropping him.
“This most cancers is killing our youngsters,” Mike Gallegos, his dad, mentioned. “My son is one in every of them.”
Mike Jr., who was 16, died on July 9 after battling leukemia for ten months. Leukemia is a sort of blood most cancers. His household shares his story within the hopes that extra individuals will donate blood.
“He wanted plenty of platelets, and he wanted plenty of blood,” Mike Gallegos mentioned. “It doesn’t matter what sort of most cancers it’s, all of them want blood.”
This comes because the South Texas Blood & Tissue Middle experiences a critically low blood provide.
“Proper now, we ship every little thing we acquire proper out,” Francine Pina, a senior supervisor of donor advertising and marketing on the middle, mentioned. “We have to rebuild our present stock.”
The present stock is so low Pina mentioned the middle was unable to assist help Houston’s Gulf Coast Regional Blood Middle after Hurricane Beryl. Proper now, all blood sorts are wanted, particularly O-positive and O-negative.
“We have to rebuild our present stock,” Pina mentioned. “Most individuals don’t understand that 35% of all of the blood goes to most cancers sufferers.”
After Mike Jr. died, his household donated blood in his honor. And now, they’re calling on San Antonio to do the identical.
“We’d like you to donate some blood,” Mike Gallegos mentioned. “We’re going to do our half to maintain my son’s reminiscence alive and assist donate blood.”
The household is engaged on creating and scheduling a blood drive to honor Mike Jr.
On Sunday, July 21, the household can have a balloon launch at 11 a.m. on the Stevens Excessive College Soccer Area. It’s open to the general public, and his household asks individuals to deliver balloons.
To assist children like Mike Jr., you possibly can schedule a blood donation or blood drive by visiting SouthTexasBlood.org.
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