Robin Reed-Pearson was planning her wedding. She was a little tired but thought it was just the normal strain of work and life. Routine blood work brought the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. It also moved up her wedding date and a change of venue for the big event. Knowing she had a long journey ahead, Reed-Pearson and her fiancée decided to marry in a hospital courtyard right before she started treatment. After months of chemotherapy, blood transfusions and a bone marrow transplant, Reed-Pearson is now looking forward to celebrating her one-year wedding anniversary and being back at work as the Director of Medical Staff Services at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.

According to Be The Match, a bone marrow transplant organization, 70 percent of patients do not have a match in their family; they rely on bone marrow donors. Up to 35% of the blood products collected by SunCoast Blood Bank are used to treat cancer patients, while lifesaving chemotherapy destroys red blood cells and platelets, often making a transfusion necessary. According to LifeLink, more than 5,800 Floridians are waiting for organ transplants.

In honor of Reed-Pearson, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota is hosting a registration drive for bone marrow and organ donation and a donation drive for platelets and blood. The hospital is collaborating with the Suncoast Blood Bank, Be The Match and LifeLink. The Give Life Drive will be Friday, August 10, from 7:30am until 3pm in the education classroom near the front lobby of the hospital.

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota