Grissell Castro’s thank-you address at the Hendrick Regional Blood Center’s donor appreciation dinner Tuesday evening took an unexpected dramatic turn about a month ago.
Castro, a regular platelet donor, accepted an invitation from Frances Baker, donor recruiter for the blood center, in January. Castro, who attended her first donor appreciation dinner last year and was impressed with the commitment of the donors, was happy to accept, particularly because it would give her a forum to address the need to recruit younger donors like herself.
Then it got personal.
In February, Castro’s father, Manuel, underwent a quadruple bypass. After the surgery, Manuel Castro had a complication that required the transfusion of two units of blood. As she watched her father, a thought struck Grissell Castro.
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