Community unites to host blood drive to help baby with rare blood disorder

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A blood donation drive was held on Saturday afternoon to help a one year-old baby battling a rare blood disorder.

Christopher Parent, Commander at Veterans of Foreign Wars post 9095 in Little Rock, said they wanted to do something to help the community and were able to get in touch with Our Blood Institute to host a blood drive to help Declan de Gury.

Ann de Gury, Declan’s mother, said her son has already overcome so many challenges.

“He was hospitalized at two months old with a hemoglobin of 2 and he had to receive multiple blood transfusions,” Ann said. “After a bone marrow transplant, he was diagnosed with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia.”

Ann said with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, her son doesn’t produce red blood cells so he requires a blood transfusion every three weeks to survive.

Declan can only receive O negative blood, Ann said. “But there’s been a shortage on O negative blood and it’s just important to come donate.”

Josh Gwin with Our Blood Institue said since O negative is the universal donor, it is generally in high demand.

‘Seven percent of the population that donates is O negative,” Gwin said. “Our hospitals use 12 % so we have to get those O negative patients back throughout the year.

Gwin said unfortunately stories like Declan are not uncommon and all blood types are needed to help save lives.

“If you don’t know what blood type you are, come in and donate,” Gwin said. “All blood types are needed all the time.”

Gwin says there is always a need for more blood donors because blood only lasts on the shelf for 42 days.

“That’s why people hear from us an awful lot because you can’t freeze it, you can’t store it,” Gwin said. “It takes 12,000 donors a day to support hospitals all throughout Our Blood Institute System.”

Parent said they would like to use the blood drive as a a pilot program across the state to help more VFW posts and communities come together to help each other.

“Throughout the United States VFWs are having events on the weekends and the community, giving back,” Parent said. “Because we live here, we are part of [the community] and we want [people to know] that we are here to serve the community.”