IAN RANG THE BELL
On Tuesday, Ian Bentz did something his family was not sure they would ever get to see. He rang the bell.
If you have not seen the video we made about Ian's journey, now is the time. Diagnosed with a softball-sized tumor just after his second birthday, Ian went through intensive chemotherapy, radiation, and three life-threatening bone marrow transplants. Blood and platelet transfusions were a constant part of keeping him alive along the way.
This Tuesday, after years of fighting, Ian is NED. No evidence of disease.
DONATE LIFE
To close out Donate Life Month, nearly 40 Linn-Mar High School students organized by the National Honor Society rolled up their sleeves Thursday for a blood drive that doubled as a lesson in why it matters.
Partnering with Iowa Donor Network, the drive connected young donors with the story of blood donation and organ donation working together. Iowa Donor Network volunteer Ann Grosscup, a kidney recipient of 20 years who also needed three blood transfusions before her transplant, was there to put a face on that message. She would not be here without generous volunteers who give blood or without a person in Kansas who made the decision to register as an organ donor.
It was a fitting end to a month that took us all over our region. Here is a look at where we showed up for Donate Life Month this April:
Saying "yes" saves lives. April reminded us of that every single week.
SALLY JUST BROKE HER OWN RECORD
Every year, Sally Palazzolo shows up for blood donors the way they once showed up for her. This Saturday, she did it better than ever.
Sally is a cancer survivor who received multiple blood transfusions during her treatment for large B-cell lymphoma in 2021. Since then, she and her sister Sara have hosted the annual Saving Lives with Sally blood drive right in Sara's front yard in south St. Louis County. Each year they have topped themselves.
2022: 37 units. 2023: 42. 2024: 45. 2025: 47.
This Saturday: 76.
We are proud to be part of Sally and Sara's story every single year. And something tells us they are not done yet.
PASS IT ON
Asking someone to save a life with you has never been more rewarding!
Our new Donor Referral Program makes it easy, and we made a video to show you exactly how it works. Log into your account, grab your unique referral link, and share it with friends and family. When someone uses your link to donate for the first time, you both earn a limited-edition T-shirt while supplies last. Keep referring and unlock digital badges along the way.
Watch the video and then pass that link to someone who has been thinking about donating. Most first-time donors just have not been personally invited yet. Now you can change that.