Special Blood Drive Set In Honor Of 6-Year-Old South Jersey Boy

The American Red Cross is hosting a special blood drive event for a 6-year-old South Jersey boy who relies on regular transfusions to get by.

Jonathan “Jack” Ashby is a kindergarten student who is a Cub Scout who likes playing video games and cheering for the Phillies, Eagles and Yankees. He even had the opportunity to visit Disney World during a family vacation last spring.

He is able to do these things because every 21 days, he receives Intravenous Immunoglobulin Transfusions (IVIG) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), according to the Red Cross. Ashby is missing 85 percent of antibodies most bodies have, leaving him susceptible to infections, bacteria and viruses. The condition is known as specific immune deficiency. His body doesn’t respond to vaccines.

“Jack has been fighting for life from before he ever took his first breath,” his mother Dottie Ashby said. “As he grew, so did his list of medical issues, chronic infections, allergies and other conditions. By age 2, he had already spent 500 days at CHOP.”

Once he began receiving IVIG treatment, though, his hospital visits were trimmed to a few times a year. It also allowed him to pursue a normal life.

“When Jack was constantly getting sick, our family of six began to avoid outings, church, weddings, birthdays and holidays—anything that would put him at risk of coming into contact with germs,” Ashby said. “When his immunologist suggested IVIG, we were cautiously optimistic.”

The treatment is possible because of donors from across the country. After blood is collected and tested, the immunoglobulin is separated from a donor’s plasma and is then purified and prepared for transfusion. On average, it takes more than 1,000 blood donations to make just one IVIG treatment.

His family will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive in his honor on Wednesday, May 30, at Grace Church, 351 Beckett Road in Logan Township, Gloucester County. Blood donation appointments are available between 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code Jack Ashby.

The attached image of Jack Ashby was provided