On August 25, the Plymouth Donor Center in Minnesota hosted a celebration for news reporter and podcast host Kristi Piehl’s 50th birthday! However, this was not your typical birthday celebration; at this party, instead of bringing gifts, guests brought a willingness to donate blood! Kristi and her husband, Ben, organized the event with help from Amanda Rodgers, Donor Recruitment Associate at Memorial Blood Centers (MBC).
Kristi and Ben’s youngest son Alec was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma as a high schooler and has received 12 blood transfusions. Alec’s parents decided to give back and continue raising awareness about the importance of blood donation for Kristi and Alec’s birthday celebration this year.
“Every time Alec gets a blood transfusion, I look at that bag of blood and I think, bless the blood donor who took the time out of their day to make a huge difference for my son and our family,” Kristi said in her Facebook post advertising the event. Kristi’s goal for her 50th birthday is 50 donations, which will be collected at different donor centers across the country. Her initiative will bring over 30 donors to MBC in support of her mission!
No birthday party is complete without food and dessert, so Kristi brought in 6 boxes of Crumbl Cookies to accompany the food platters offered in the canteen!
Thank you to all who helped organize and put on this incredible event. We appreciate your efforts in raising awareness about blood donation!
