MISSOULA - Wednesday might seem like a cold day to go out and give blood, but one Montana dad wants to remind us of the lives that are at stake.
TroyStrong, a Red Cross blood drive, was started by the Ross family, whose son Troy almost lost his life in 2017 due to a rare immune disease when three-quarters of his blood needed to be replaced. Thanks to blood donations, Troy is now a happy and healthy 8-year-old.
TroyStrong will host a blood drive from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the Red Cross blood donation center on Reserve Street in Missoula. Currently, the drive is struggling to fill spots.
The holidays are a busy time, and it is hard to convince people to take the time to donate blood, according to Red Cross spokesman Mathew Ochsner. Troy's dad Wes Ross is trying to encourage folks to show up anyways.
"When my son needed blood it was a holiday season, and you know I'm just so fortunate that nine donors -- who I still don't know to this day, but if I could ever thank them. Someone donated prior to my son needing nine units of blood. And [I’ve] said this 1,000 times. Without them stepping up -- whether they were busy or had something on their plate...I [wouldn’t] have a son anymore."
There will also be TroyStrong blood drives on Dec. 28 in Kalispell and on Dec. 30 in Great Falls.
