ELLETTSVILLE — A Red Cross blood donation drive honoring a young leukemia patient is planned for February 2 in Ellettsville.
14-year-old Ian Slabaugh has been battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) for the last five years. He lives in Ellettsville but travels nearly 55 miles frequently to receive his treatments from Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
He received a bone marrow transplant from his sister Neely in July 2020 but found out this past November that the transplant did not work. “Giving blood is the lifeline to so many people, including my son,” said Amy Slabaugh, Ian’s mother. “We are holding this blood drive in Ian’s honor to encourage people to think about the lives they are saving by taking time to donate blood.”
The Red Cross depends on blood donors to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,500 hospitals nationwide. In Indiana alone, the Red Cross needs about 350 donors each day to support patients at 80 hospitals across the state. Donors of all blood types, especially type O, are needed.
The Feb. 2 Ian Slabaugh blood drive is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ellettsville Christian Church, 731 Independence Street. Ellettsville is just northwest of Bloomington on State Road 46 in Monroe County.
To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation. More information about the Red Cross and blood drives can be found here: https://www.redcross.org/local/indiana.html