Bryan Brown routinely donates blood.
“It’s one poke I get every four months, but it changes someone else’s life,” he said.
But prior to 2018, he never donated.
“I had no say in the first drive, and then I found out I was O negative,” said Bryan Brown.
His daughter, Oliviah Brown-Hall, is his inspiration. She encouraged him to give the gift of life.
“The bond between a daughter and a father is not explainable,” he said. “But she truly was my best friend.”
She died four years ago at age 10. For nearly 17 months, she battled an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Bryan Brown donated at the annual American Red Cross blood drive in Ashtabula that’s held in her memory.
“Being a Christian man, I feel like I’m going to see her again one day,” he said. “So, I just try to live my life that she’s looking down and when I get there, she’ll be happy for decisions I made and the life I lived.”
Giving back has become a family affair.
Oliviah’s grandma, Patricia Brown, volunteers at the blood drive every year as a tribute to her granddaughter.
“She’s missed,” Patricia said. “Greatly.”
Oliviah’s positive outlook on life motivated her. Patricia Brown now volunteers at blood drives all the time.
“I try to work four or five a month,” she said.
Oliviah didn’t need blood for her treatments, but met other kids with cancer who did.
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