Blood Assurance is holding blood drives and bone marrow registrations in honor of Spenser Hill on Thursday, March 6 and Thursday, March 13 at Billy’s Restaurant, 2822 Nashville Highway, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days.
Spenser is the son of Curtis Hill and Tonia Farmer, manager at Billy’s. He has been diagnosed with leukemia and is currently undergoing treatment at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Farmer has been staying with her son while he undergoes treatment.
“We miss Tonia but we are certainly not going to replace her. Other people have stepped up and are filling in for her responsibilities,” said Darryl Bouldin, Billy’s owner. “We want to honor Spenser with this drive. We would love to overwhelm Blood Assurance with hundreds of donors and honor him for what he is going through. The Blood Assurance bus will be at Billy’s two days because so many people have responded to the Facebook page announcing the drive. I hope people realize the bone marrow registry is not an invasive procedure. If someone does not want to donate blood, they can register their bone marrow. That is just a simple swab of the inside of the cheek.”
Blood Assurance serves 46 counties in a five-state region and is the sole provider of blood and blood components for 70 healthcare facilities, including River Park Hospital. Over 440 blood donors are needed every day in order to adequately supply the region served by Blood Assurance with life-saving blood.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. The process usually takes about 30 minutes and includes a complimentary snack and T-shirt. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids, avoiding caffeine, and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.
Bouldin said appointments can be made but are not necessary.
“If someone needs to get in at 2 p.m., they can make an appointment. That just means if two people show up at the same time, the one with the appointment will be called first. The other person may have to wait just a few minutes,” said Bouldin.
To schedule an appointment to donate blood or register marrow at either of Spenser’s blood drives, call Ashley Smith at Billy’s Restaurant, 931-668-9987.
For more information about donating blood, please call Blood Assurance at 1-800-962-0628 or visit www.BloodAssurance.org. For more information about registering bone marrow, visit www.bethematch.org.