A 6-year-old was diagnosed in May with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and her sister is doing her part to spread more awareness.
Violet Jackson is undergoing treatment at Omaha’s Children’s Hospital and has received two blood transfusions since her diagnosis. Her mom, Wendy Jackson, told CBS News that she was thankful that blood was available for her child, and wanted to “pay that gift forward.” With that in mind, she scheduled a blood donation of her own.
Violet’s older sister Eden was inspired by her mom’s initiative. She decided she would find a way to educate others about leukemia, and ultimately organized a community blood drive with the American Red Cross. The 16-year-old saw this as an opportunity to get more people to donate blood, and also to teach people about how that blood saves lives. It didn’t take long for all the slots to be filled.
“It was great to see it all fill up so fast and know that we brought awareness to the need for blood and that it can help people,” she said.
