Davenport blood drive held in memory of 5-year-old boy who died from cancer
The Rally for Reid blood drive was hosted by ImpactLife at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
The college has been hosting it for a few years now after the death of Reid Gleeson, who was just five years old when he passed in October 2020.
The blood drive was held Wednesday afternoon in the ballroom of St. Ambrose University’s Rogalski Center.
Reid Gleeson of Davenport received 42 units of blood during three years of treatment. Gleeson had Medulloblastoma, a brain cancer that required surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. After Reid died, his parents reached out to ImpactLife. They hoped the nonprofit would be able to host blood drives and they were happy to do it.
“It really is a way for these families to pay it forward or process their grief and turn it into something positive,” said Alex Burkamper, ImpactLife’s spokesperson. “Often, we don’t hear about how blood is medicine for cancer patients. Blood was medicine for him. It prolonged Reid’s life and gave him, and his family the gift of more time,” Burkamper added.
Burkamper also said blood is always needed, especially in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day weekend.
“Drives like Rally for Reid are so important to our community blood supply, especially right now as we’re heading into summer and colleges and high schools are getting out,” Burkamper said. “We are losing a whole lot of blood donors because they are not on campus anymore. That’s why it’s so important to have these donations come in before these critical summer months when the need is higher.”
“I know there are shortages of blood so just having more people out here to come donate blood would truly help families, kids, patients in hospitals, and things like that,” said St. Ambrose University sophomore Allison Meyer.
Students were happy to step up and help pay it forward.
“Just giving back to the community is important,” said St. Ambrose University sophomore Anna May. “Being able to support his family and show that there’s still people who think about him and want to make a difference. You’re also helping save lives. You’re making a difference in the world. You don’t know who it’s for, but you are a part of something that is bigger than yourself. It’s cool to see students partake in a little piece of that.”
“It’s amazing. You can make an impact on kids’ lives, people’s lives,” said Meyer. “You never know where your blood could go to and what life you can save.”
Shortly after Reid’s death in 2020, his family established the Rally for Reid Foundation. It helps support blood drives like these and it also helps families impacted by childhood cancer. Reid was known for his love of garbage trucks, so the city of Bettendorf named one of its recycling trucks after him.
Public Works is looking for a name for the second one. To vote, visit here.
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