Tyler JuhlPhoto: University of Iowa Health Care
(Iowa City, IA) -- The DeGowin Blood Center in Iowa City is planning a blood drive in honor of an eastern Iowa boy battling B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The event for 7-year-old Tyler Juhl will be June 25-26 in Solon.
“We are so thankful for the donors who have made Tyler’s fight against cancer possible,” says Tyler’s mother, Kari Juhl.
Donor center Supervisor at DeGowin, Kerry DuBay says summer is often challenging for blood supplies, and this summer could be even more challenging with national blood shortages.
“Locally we need additional platelet donors and we’re also monitoring our inventory of Group O whole blood (O-negative and O-positive) closely. We need a steady increase of donors throughout the summer to meet the needs of UI Health Care patients like Tyler," said DuBay. The DeGowin Center collects blood donations for patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Stead Family Children's Hospital.