| Pittsburgh, PA (11/16/2009) - Central Blood Bank and Baggaley Elementary School announce a special replenishment blood drive in honor of three-year-old Hannah Kalp on Nov. 23, in the gym, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. In August 2009, Kalp was suffering from fevers, unexplained bruises on her body, petechiae (red dots all over her body), fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and pain in her knees and legs. On Aug. 15, she was diagnosed with pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and since then she has had to undergo numerous bone marrow biopsies, spinal taps, and blood tests. Kalp started chemotherapy at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, where she has also received transfusions of red blood cells and platelets as a very important part of her treatment. A lively little girl, Kalp loves to pretend to be a princess, dance to popular songs, paint her nails her favorite color (pink), and watch Go, Diego, Go! and Dora the Explorer. Her parents are Melissa, a Latrobe native who graduated from Greater Latrobe High School and works at the Latrobe Walmart, and Chad, who grew up in Acme, graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School, and works at Kasto in Export. Her sister, Kaitlyn, is in fifth grade at Baggaley Elementary School.
Nearly 37 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, yet only 5 percent do. Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to donate blood at this very special blood drive in support of Kalp’s journey back to health and for the other area patients who require blood transfusions. On Sept. 25, a drive held in Hannah Kalp’s honor collected 31 units. Individuals who are interested in donating can schedule their lifesaving appointment by calling 412-209-7100. Or, they can visit www.centralbloodbank.org and make an appointment through “My Personal Donation History” and searching for the drive using Sponsor Code ZRTN0553. |
