Blood centers asking for more donations during summer to save lives

Cameron Sears is a two year old from Versailes who relies on blood donations as he battles with Leukemia, families like his are asking people to give more blood

LEXINGTON, KY (WTVQ) – The Sears family has made the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital their second home this summer where their youngest, Cameron is being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“He was diagnosed in February and right now he’s in remission but we still have two years of treatment left to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back,” explains his mom, Kelly Sears.

Instead of going on summer vacation, every two weeks, the two year old and his family spend a few days in a hospital room relying on blood donations.

“Leukemia is a blood cancer so it starts in your bone marrow and then in your blood of course so it deplites his red blood cell counts,” says Sears.

Cameron’s physicians say leukemia patients needs regular blood transfusions.

“They need that because the leukemia is there in the bone marrow to start with so the body can’t make normal blood cells but also because some of the treatment that we give the chemo therapy stuns the body to make normal blood cells,” explains. Dr. John D’Orazio, a pediatric oncologist at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

When Cameron was first diagnosed, he had 3 or 4 transfusions within the first few days and carries around with him a set of beads to show the number of blood products he’s used so far. Cameron will continue to need them over the next two years. According to the Kentucky Blood Center, donations slow down this time of year, which is why summer has been a stressful for the Sears.

“He’s O positive so right now as of the sixth of July they’re in a low supply of that and nation wide there’s a shortage,” says Sears.

Cameron’s siblings say their family is often limited from doing a lot of things in public because of his illness. But once Cameron is cancer free, the hope is to cross a certain activity off their bucket list.

“We’d like to go to the pool as a family,” says older sister Aubrey Sears.

Until then, the Sears and other families hope people will consider adding a visit to a blood center in their summer plans so that they can focus on Cameron and get closer to making summer memories.

To find a blood center near you, click the link here.