Blood Donor Hosts Blood Drives for Red Cross in Memory of His Wife

By Briana Phillips, American Red Cross volunteer 

Rick and Michelle Mitchell

Rick Mitchell was always aware of the need for blood donations, but his perspective shifted when his wife, Michelle, was diagnosed with cancer. Donating blood for the Nashville citizen is more than a routine act of kindness, it is about paying it forward to patients and honoring his wife. 

In 2018, Michelle was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma. Mitchell describes her illness as coming out of nowhere. “I remember she felt fatigued, but it didn’t seem like anything serious,” he said. “We went to the doctor and were surprised to find out that she was extremely anemic and was actually rapidly losing blood.” 

After more tests, they found cancerous masses in her liver, lungs, stomach, and brain. It was devastating news for the couple. “We knew that the odds did not look good,” he remembered. “But the doctors were going to do everything they could to give Michelle more time.” 

To combat the blood loss, Michelle received frequent blood transfusions as part of her treatment. Mitchell believes that having those blood transfusions helped extend her life. “By the time everything was said and done, Michelle lost 20 pints of blood,” he recalled. “There is no way she would have survived as long as she did without blood donations.” Even with the help of blood transfusions, Michelle’s condition deteriorated, and she passed away shortly after Mitchell’s first blood drive in her honor, hosted at the game store they owned together. 

Mitchell started to look for more opportunities to host blood drives of his own. As a Pokémon expert, his role takes him all around the world to gaming conventions. He began to set up blood drives in honor of Michelle at these events and the drives were all successful. He has hosted five blood drive events so far and plans to continue this outreach in the future. 

“It’s extremely important that donors realize that donating blood shouldn’t be a one-time thing,” he said. Red Cross would like for donors to give whole blood every 56 days to keep the supply available on hospital shelves when needed. Without steady donation, there is always a risk of a blood shortage. 

“I have donated 13 to 14 units of blood so far,” he said, “My goal is to donate 22 units in total.” He hopes that his commitment to donating blood, as well as hosting blood drives in Michelle’s memory, encourages people to donate more frequently. 

 

To find a blood drive near you go to RedCrossBlood.org, download the Red Cross Blood smart app to your phone, or call 1-800-RED CROSS to schedule your blood donation.