Blood drive...

Hi Jeff, Jenn, and Fritsch~

My name is Lauren Weatherspoon and I am an avid listener of the morning show on Q102. I am hoping that you can assist me in raising awareness for a blood drive being held in honor of my nearly 3 year old daughter, Susie, at Batavia Local Schools on December 7 and December 17th. Susie was diagnosed with Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (FHLH for short) in late June this year. FHLH is a rare disease of severe immune dysregulation which results in a supernormal immune response to infection which ultimately leads to the immune system attacking the body. To learn more about FHLH, you can check out www.histio.org. It affects only 1.2 of 1 million children each year. When she initially became ill, we were living in Hawaii as my husband is an active-duty member of the Army; however, he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at that time.

We were med-evac'd to Cincinnati Children's Hospital 2 days after she was initially hospitalized for acute liver failure at Tripler Army Medical Center. My husband was sent home on Emergency Leave and we have remained here since. Six days after arriving in Cincinnati, we were able to obtain a diagnosis. God must have been looking out for us as Cincinnati Children's is the leading hospital in the country for this condition and also has the world's leading expert in FHLH on staff. The only treatment for this condition is a bone marrow transplant which Susie received on September 10, 2007 from her big brother, Gabriel. She has done well since with only minor complications. Throughout this process, Susie has received every type of blood product possible.

There have been times when these products are not available due to shortages. When I was contacted by Batavia Local Schools, my alma mater, to see what they could do to help our family, I immediately used this opportunity to ask them to organize a blood drive in honor of my sweet Susie. This will not only benefit Susie, but also the many adults and children in the local area who need these life-saving products. I am hoping that you will help me in raising awareness and encouraging members of the community to help save lives by donating their blood. Please contact me via email or phone at 859-360-3666 if you might be able to help us. Thank you,Lauren Weatherspoon You can learn more about Susie at www.caringbridge.org/visit/susiepaige