16-Year-Old's Inspiring Mission to Fight Blood Disease
A teenage cancer patient isn't sitting around and feeling sorry for himself.
The 16-year-old is taking action to help others!
Alex Ramsey is launching a major project and you can help him get results.
He's trying to raise the number of blood and platelet donations from the military!
He's also selling specialized wristbands to raise money for prizes to give the children who get transfusions at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth.
"There's so many people that actually have diseases in which they need platelets or blood," Alex told NewsChannel 3.
You can read a letter from Alex's Mother below.
It has information on how you can help donate to his cause:
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FW: Alex is asking for a call to arms!
Alex is 16 years old, attends school at Bethel High in Hampton, VA. He was diagnosed on 6 Oct 2008 with Very Severe Aplastic Anemia (in other words he is his own worse enemy...his body is killing his platelets and white blood cell's). Alex is treated at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Department, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Pediatrics' Ward. When not an inpatient, Alex still attends school three days a week as he tries to maintain as much as possible a normal teenage life. The other two school days, he is getting transfusions. He has been receiving and will continue to receive at a minimum 3 bags of platelets a week for at least 3-6 more months (maybe even longer).
Alex is known as the Superstar in the blood bank for getting so many donors. You can not donate directly to him but please donate in his name. Aphaeresis is helping to keep a tally and we are hoping to also make this some how into an eagle project for Boy Scouts. We continually need more donors, please. This way the hospital doesn't have to buy platelets from an outside source.
Platelets are only good for 5 days. We need to spread out the donors, this will allow the blood bank to stay stocked not only for Alex but for all of the other patients that need them. You can call the blood bank at 953-1717 to schedule an appointment or call if you have any questions about platelet donations. Platelet donations can be made every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at NMCP between the hours of 0700-1330. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. You can sit back and relax for a couple of hours to watch a movie. They also give away lots of goodies including a free lunch in the galley, snacks, coffee mugs, etc. Oh yeah, they will take anyone 17 years or older, you do not have to have a military ID card, you only need a valid driver's license and an
appointment.
If you would like to donate platelets please call Aphaeresis at 953-1717. Don't forget to mention in the name of Alex so it can help him and towards a project that we are working on. Thank you for all of your help. Helping others is helping us to cope with a terrible situation.
We are also selling the wrist bands for $1.00 each. The money raised will be donated to the Aplastic Anemia & MDS Foundation; Make A Wish Foundation and prizes for the young children that are getting transfusions at NMCP Hematology/Oncology Clinic. All three of these organizations are non-profit organizations. His goal is to raise $1200.
This will allow him to give at least $400 to each charity.
His wish for the Make a Wish Foundation is to be able to dive the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and Alex wants to go to William & Mary and become a marine biologist.
Please spread the word, the more the merrier!
V/r
HM1 Melissa Leonard "Missy"
Tricare Prime Clinic Chesapeake, VA
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