On Monday, February 25, from 12-6:00 p.m., Team KC is sponsoring their fifth annual community blood drive at Smith Elementary. It’s being held to honor the memory of Korrine Croghan, a Granada High School student who would have graduated last June. Before that, she was a student at Smith Elementary and Mendenhall Middle School.
Team KC was formed by the family and friends of Korrine, who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, choriocarcinoma when she was a freshman. Even though she was a small young woman, the chemo treatment she received was the equivalent that would have been given to an adult male.
During the 10-month treatment period, Korrine required over 100 units of blood to sustain her, and with her rare A negative blood type, there was a shortage of blood in the bay area to help her.
Korrine's mom, Dana Croghan told me, "Korrine was white as a ghost because the chemo just wiped her out. It's a beautiful thing to see blood going into children and their cheeks pink up."
Team KC has held two blood drives each year, and Smith Elementary School is the only elementary school to host a blood drive with the American Red Cross in the bay area. Team KC is dedicated to helping other pediatric cancer patients in a variety of ways, including hosting blood drives with the Red Cross.
Donors are encouraged to wear their Team KC t-shirts it to the drive to remember Korrine. They will be available for sale at the drives, and proceeds go to benefit pediatric cancer patients at Kaiser Oakland.
The public is encouraged to sign up for the blood drive, which will be at Smith Elementary School’s library, located at 391 Ontario Drive in Livermore.
To schedule your appointment, please visit redcrossblood.org, and enter TEAMKC as the sponsor code, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Donors must be 17 years or older (16 with parental consent), in good health and have a form of identification (drivers license or donor card) with them.
