The community of East St. Paul is rallying around a local family by donating blood ahead of the long weekend.
Kendra Nixon and Calvin Shewchuk’s teenage son Nathaniel was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in January of 2017.
Nathaniel overcame many complications including a blood infection that sent him into septic shock and also underwent chemotherapy treatments.
Throughout his ordeal, Kendra Nixon said her son received many blood donations.
“I think at last count, he has had well over 100 or 120 blood products,” said Nixon.
The donations were critical for the 15-year-old, along with a bone marrow donation from his younger brother Liam, who told CTV News he wanted to do anything he could to help.
“I knew that it was the right thing since he’s gone through a lot.”
On Friday, East St. Paul residents came together for a Winnipeg Jets-themed blood drive in honour of Nathaniel.
Canadian Blood Services territory manager Steve Raizen said blood donations typically go down over the long weekend.
“Most people say that they never donate or they didn’t donate because they didn’t know there was a need. Or nobody ever asked them to,” said Raizen.
With a goal of collecting 77 separate donations, 108 people were booked to give blood, with walk in donations also being welcomed.
As Nathaniel continues to recover and move forward, his mother said she hoped the blood drive would bring in donors, but also create life-long habits.
“It saved his life,” said Nixon. “Everyone will know somebody in their life that needs some type of blood transfusion, so it’s absolutely critical to do this.”
Canadian Blood Service’s Clinic on William Avenue is open for donations over the long weekend.
