June 2026 - ImpactLife

Overcoming the Odds: Justin’s Journey with a Rare Autoimmune Disorder

For Justin Morris, a baffling illness set off a wild, years-long medical rollercoaster that completely changed his perspective on life. What started with a terrifying misdiagnosis eventually led to the discovery of a rare condition called warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

However, it wasn't until a completely unrelated accident landed him in the hospital with critically low hemoglobin that Justin truly understood the lifesaving power of his community. After relying on multiple emergency blood transfusions to survive, Justin gained a profound new appreciation for his health, his family, and the volunteer donors who gave him a second chance.

Watch the video to hear Justin share his incredible story.

Learn More

From left to right: Dixie Chenoweth, Taylor Maritn, and Kathrin Miller. — From left to right: Dixie Chenoweth, Taylor Martin, and Kathrin Miller.

Leaders for Life Make Their Mark

More than 600 high school students across our region earned our Student Impact Award this year, making it a record-breaking year for one of our most inspiring programs.

With more than 100 more students receiving the award compared to last year, these Leaders for Life are proving that the next generation of lifesavers is already making a difference in our communities. Through donating blood, recruiting donors, coordinating school drives, and volunteering their time, they all stepped up to make sure blood is available for patients when they need it most.

These achievements would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of our team members who mentor, encourage, and partner with students throughout the school year. From organizing drives and supporting student coordinators to building lasting relationships with schools, our teams help create meaningful opportunities for young people to lead through service.

Together, we're building a culture of community impact and empowering the next generation to put compassion into action, one donation at a time.

Trauma Season is Here

Every year at this time, the need for blood goes up, while blood donations go down.

To combat that, we teamed up with the St. Charles County Ambulance District for a blood drive to celebrate our Heroes for Life during EMS Week 2026! The blood drive was designed to support SCCAD’s participation in our pre-hospital transfusion program. We supply blood for to more than 100 hospitals and dozens of EMS operations in our four-state footprint.

“Pre-hospital delivery of blood products is cutting-edge treatment,” said SCCAD Chief Medical Officer David K. Tan, M.D. “Prompt delivery of these vital blood components for patients in these dire situations will contribute to improved outcomes.”

Meanwhile, we joined representatives of SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital and Stop the Bleed for a special promotional event at the annual blood drive on the campus of SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital. It took place on Stop The Bleed Day 2026 – a date promoted by the Department of Defense and the Stop The Bleed Coalition to encourage widespread bleeding control training and awareness. May is generally recognized as National Stop the Bleed Month, with the main day focused on empowering bystanders to control severe bleeding.

Blood Drive Partner of the Year

A national spotlight for a one of our own! Last month, Jessica McKearney was recognized as the ADRP 2026 Blood Drive Partner of the Year during the national conference (the blood industry's biggest!) in Minneapolis. Jessica’s passion for helping others, inspiring donors, and supporting families facing pediatric cancer has made a tremendous impact across our communities, and we could not be more proud to see her receive this recognition.

Since 2020, Jessica has partnered with us for 16 blood drives that have inspired more than 2,000 donations, while also serving as a co-chair of our Quad Cities Associate Board. Alongside her husband Kyle, she founded the Hudson Strong Foundation to support pediatric cancer families and advance pediatric cancer research following their son Hudson’s leukemia journey. More than $85,000 has been raised to support the Hudson Strong Family Fund at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

In addition to leading our Associate Board and running her foundation, Jessica is also a nurse practitioner and mom to three: Hudson, Violet and Colson. Through her advocacy, compassion, and tireless commitment to giving back, Jessica continues to show the powerful difference one person can make as a true Partner for Life. Check out the story here!

A group of ImpactLife Associate Board members — From left to right: Teresa Tran, account manager; Springfield Board members Kristin Tobias, Coreyonna Johnson, and Emmanuel Davis; and Chad Sabin, Community Development Advocate

Showing Our Pride in Springfield

Last Saturday, our staff and members of our Springfield Associate Board had an a blast hanging out at the Springfield Pridefest event! It was an incredible day filled with great conversations with the LGBTQ+ community about how they can roll up a sleeve and help save lives. We shared our mission and reminded the community about the updated 2023 FDA guidelines using gender-inclusive based questions in pre-donation screening.

The best part? We helped over 70 people discover their blood type right on the spot! Getting to know your blood type is such a fun first step in the donation journey, and the energy from everyone who stopped by our booth was truly inspiring.

Thank the Donor

"Thank you so much for your blood donation. Our mom has been our rock our whole lives. She is currently being evaluated for a double lung transplant, and we have faced many challenges with this process. This week, her gallbladder took a hit and due to her body being weak, taking it out is not a possibility. Your blood is helping to ensure we can keep going on the road towards new lungs. She is a mom of 4, all aged 22-32, and 'Gekum' (grandma) to two sweet kids who are her pride and joy. Thank you for your donation and know that is has helped our family!"

Our Thank the Donor program is a chance to hear directly from transfusion patients and their families through an online portal. The messages - called Appreciations - go to the donor whose blood they actually received.

Partners for Life Newsletter June 2026