Mt. Vernon, Indiana Man Hosting Blood Drive in Honor of Wife Lost to Cancer

Abi Williams was (and still is) a loving and beloved mother, wife, sister, and daughter. Roughly eight months after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, Abi passed away in late January of this year leaving behind her husband, Brian, and their two young children. Following her passing, Brian made a vow that everything he did from that point forward would be done in her honor. That includes doing his part to make sure others dealing with life-threatening conditions have the blood they need to continue their fight.

Love Like Abi Blood Drive

On Monday, October 2nd, Brian, along with family and friends will host a blood drive in Abi's honor at 1on1 Church in Newburgh. According to Brian, Abi required several blood transfusions while battling cancer as the disease severely affected her bone marrow which is responsible for making "billions of new blood cells each day," according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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There were times, Brian says, when Abi would have to wait for blood or platelets to be shipped to her infusion center from larger cities because there were not enough for her and other patients here in Evansville. His goal with the October 2nd blood drive is to help make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else.

The drive will run from 1:00 until 7:00 PM at 1on1 Church at 5177 Rosebud Lane in Newburgh. The drive will only focus on collecting whole and power red blood donations. If you're interested in donating platelets, Brian asks that you call the Red Cross and set up a separate appointment.

How to Schedule an Appointment

The easiest way to schedule an appointment is online through the Red Cross website. Enter sponsor code LOVELIKEABI (just like that, no spaces in between words) in the "Find a Blood Drive" box in the upper right corner, then select 1on1 Church from the list on the left-hand side of the screen, and choose one of the times available.

You can also book through the Red Cross Blood Donor app on your phone by tapping "Schedule New Appointment" from the home screen. If you've scheduled before, you'll have the option of either "Smart Scheduling" to schedule an appointment similar to one you've done before or "Start Over" to, well, start over from scratch. Tap "Start Over." At the bottom of the next screen, tap "Use Sponsor Code" and enter LOVELIKEABI, then choose either Blood or Power Red donation. Enter October 2nd as both the start and end date, then tap 1on1 Church on the next screen to pick your time.

Or, you could just have someone else set up the appointment for you by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

No matter which option you choose, know that you're donation could help save someone's life.

[Source: Cleveland Clinic]