Murfreesboro Platelet Donor Shares Why He Is Committed to Making a Difference

Tyler Andrews, a photographer and podcaster, routinely donates blood at the Heart of Tennessee Red Cross Chapter in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He began donating blood when he was frustrated he couldn’t give back financially. One day he was donating blood next to a man who doing the same thing, but the only difference was the man was a multi-millionaire. That’s when it clicked for Andrews.

“As I was sitting on the bench donating blood, I looked over and realized my blood donation was every bit as valuable as the other guy’s,” Andrews said. “There was literally nothing I could have done to make that donation more valuable in that moment than exactly what I was doing.”

Andrews goes faithfully once a month to donate platelets, tiny cells in your blood that form clots and stop bleeding. For millions of Americans, platelets are essential to surviving and fighting cancer, chronic diseases and traumatic injuries. Since platelets must be used within five days of donation, platelet donors are constantly needed and Andrews is happy to help meet the need.

Donating platelets is personal for him because several loved ones required platelets during their cancer treatment. It started when his mother developed advanced stage IV breast cancer. “A couple years after that, my father-in-law had a blood cancer, and he needed platelets. Then my sister-in-law had a blood cancer, and she needed platelets,” Andrews said.

When Andrews visits the Heart of Tennessee Red Cross Chapter office, he is always amazed by the teamwork of volunteers and the community. From volunteers who answer the phones and greet blood donors, to community members who make regular donations, it takes collaboration to carry out the American Red Cross mission to collect blood and platelets.

“Because this is something that is necessary for the preservation of life, there really aren’t any small actions,” Andrews added. “It’s all lifesaving.”