56: the number of blood transfusions 19-year-old Hunter Allen received during his battle with the flu in 2018, and the number of days he spent in the hospital before passing away due to complications of that illness. Coincidentally, it is also the frequency at which community members can donate blood to help those, like Hunter, in their community who need those blood products for various treatments.
19-year-old Hunter Allen, of Anderson, was a happy, funny, energetic high schooler, when, in January of 2018, he came down with flu type A. His condition rapidly worsened, requiring him to be placed on an ECMO device (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which functioned as his heart and lungs to give his body time to rest and recover. During that treatment, he received 56 units of blood. Those blood products were available because people in the Upstate took time out of their days to donate blood.
This year, TBC is partnering with Hunter’s family to host two blood drives on November 5.
- Hunter Allen Memorial Drive: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Starr Walking Track (1019 Bowie Street Starr, SC)
- Link to make appointments: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/196439
- River of Life Car Show: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at River of Life Church (601 S. McDuffie Street Anderson, SC)
- Link to make appointments: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/200480
For every blood donor, $20 will be donated to the Hunter Allen Scholarship Fund, which provides a scholarship for a Crescent High School student, where Hunter attended school.