Blood drive held in honor of the late Ava Winner
Ava Winner’s family and friends want to keep her fun loving and caring spirit alive. They accomplished their goal this year by hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive in her honor on March 12, which would have been her 16th birthday.
Winner passed away on July 5, 2023, after a four-and-a-half-year battle with medulloblastoma. She received blood products, whole blood, red blood cells, and platelets, several times during her fight with cancer both in Ohio and in Georgia, where she participated in a clinical trial.
“As a mom I wanted to channel my emotions for something good, that would honor her, remember her, and help others,” said Melissa Winner, Ava’s mother. “A lot of these kids helping are sophomores like she would have been and 16, the age you can start giving blood.”
There were a little over 100 slots for blood donors and all of them filled up with River View students and employees.
“I wanted the kids that are just now able to donate to have a good first experience and want to be donors again,” Melissa said.
Kayla Davis, a nurse for River View Local School District shared these numbers from the blood drive: Total presenting donors – 92; whole blood units collected – 70; Power Red units collected – 12; donors deferred – 14; first time donors – 30; donors who started the donation process but did not complete – one; total productive units – 82 (goal was 70); total lives saved – 246.
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