Carol Axelrod Blood Drive In Lansdale Coming Up

Lansdale, PA -- The Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive will take place on July 13 at the Clubhouse at the Reserve at Gwynedd (301 Primrose Drive, Lansdale).

It's the fourth annual event.

All presenting donors will receive a gift bag, free entry into prize drawings, and special refreshments. The blood drive will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments are available every 15 minutes and can be scheduled at www.chablooddrive.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (mention sponsor code "CHAMemorial").

For every unit of blood collected at this American Red Cross blood drive, Carol’s family will make contributions to the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund, which assists families that are caring for children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and injuries, and RSVP, a multi-service organization that, through volunteerism, responds to critical human needs throughout Montgomery County and beyond. If the blood drive collection surpasses last year's total of 68 units, the family will double their donations to both organizations.

This blood drive was founded in 2008 by the family of Carol Axelrod, who became dependent on regular transfusions of blood and platelets while being treated for multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The transfusions allowed her to continue to live independently, 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. Blood donations often decline during the summer months, when busy summer schedules and vacation plans can cause some donors to be less available to give. But the need for blood remains constant all summer long.

Each day, the American Red Cross needs 14,000 blood donations to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country. Every individual who schedules a donation appointment at the Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive in Lansdale on July 13 will be giving hope to a patient in need.

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