Celebrate Columbus Day by "Discovering" How You Can Save a Life!

The 8th Annual Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive at Lankenau Medical Center will take place on Monday and Tuesday, October 12 and 13, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Lankenau’s Annenberg Conference Center, 100 E. Lancaster Ave., Rooms 101A, B and C. The Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive will collect its 2,000th unit of blood during this milestone American Red Cross blood drive, which will give donors an easy opportunity to help save lives while also supporting two important local organizations. For every unit of blood collected, Axelrod’s family will make donations to Maya Rigler’s Virtual Alex’s Lemonade Stand, which raises funds and awareness for the causes and treatment of childhood cancer, and Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, which assists displaced pets during and after a disaster in their home. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, visit http://www.chablooddrive.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (mention sponsor code “CHAMemorial”).

All presenting donors will receive a gift bag and free entry into a prize drawing. Appointments are available at 15-minute intervals throughout the day.

In 2003, Wynnewood resident Carol Axelrod was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood and bone marrow. During her treatment for the disease, she became dependent on regular transfusions of blood and platelets. The transfusions, which she received at Lankenau, allowed her to enjoy good quality of life and spend time with friends and family. After Axelrod died, her family started the blood drive as a way of helping other patients through similar experiences. Every unit of donated blood can be separated into components that can be given to as many as three patients, meaning that one donor can help save three lives.

Through the family’s “Community CHAllenge,” the blood drive will also support Maya Rigler’s Virtual Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the effort of a local 11-year-old who is fighting her own battle with cancer while raising awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment through the Wynnewood-based Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, and Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, which provides free veterinary care and recovery services for displaced pets while working to reunite them with their families following a disaster in their home. For every unit of blood collected, Axelrod’s family will make a donation to these groups. If the blood drive collection surpasses last year’s total of 237 units, the family will double their donations.

For more information about the Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive, visit www.chablooddrive.org.