Donors Needed for Blood Drive in Honor of Evansville Teen Battling Lymphoma

If you've ever known a young person who has gone through cancer or some other life-threatening disease, you already know how amazing and strong they can be. Evan Meyer is one of those young people, and in my opinion, he is a next-level-special kind of kid. I say 'kid' because I've known Evan since he was a little kid, but the fact is he is now a young man. The 15-year-old Reitz freshman has been in the fight of his life.

Evan's Journey

Evan was diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma back in June of 2020. Since then he has been through chemotherapy which led to remission in November of 2020 (YAY!). Evan relapsed in August 2021 (BOOOOO!), which led to more chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant in December 2021 - big shout out to Evan's stud younger brother, Wes, for the donation. Evan's mom, Wendy, tells me he is now in complete remission from the lymphoma (WOO FREAKIN' HOO!), but recovery from the stem cell transplant can take up to a year, so the proverbial sailing isn't smooth just yet.

Through all of these ups and downs (probably more downs than ups), Evan has kept an amazingly positive outlook. He has shown strength beyond what I can imagine ever possessing. Now, Evan is asking you to show just a teeny tiny bit of courage and strength by donating some of your precious life-saving blood.

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Sharing Evan's Journey

When Evan and his family started this journey, they wanted a way to keep friends, family, and well-wishers up to date with his progress, so they created the Evan's Journey Facebook page. If you want to get a better understanding of what Evan's fight has been like, I encourage you to visit the page. Well, Evan and his crew are asking you to take just a little time out of your day to give just a little bit of blood out of your body. Evan knows all too well how important fresh, healthy blood is, and he also knows that there is a dangerously low supply of blood - and that is why he and the American Red Cross are asking for your help.

Evan's Journey Blood Drive Details

• When: Friday, May 13th from from 1pm-7pm
• Where: St. Paul's United Church of Christ (German Township), located at 8701 Big Cynthiana Road on Evansville's west side.
• How: I'm gonna assume you know how donating blood works, but HERE is where you can schedule your time.
• Why: Just in case saving a life isn't reason enough to donate, here are some more 'whys'
  • You can help save up to 3 lives
  • You will earn a $10 e-gift card of your choice
  • You will be entered in a drawing to win a camper
  • You can eat tasty treats in the canteen area
  • You can have a warm and fuzzy feeling that you did something good

Evan has already done the hard part (with more hard parts to come), and now he's asking you to do the easy part. All you have to do is recline in a chair for a bit while you squeeze a little squishy ball, then you get to have some juice and a snack - EASY.