In 1982, Oakland police officer Larry Frederick made what he thought would be a routine traffic stop.  Unfortunately, he was struck by a speeding DUI driver and suffered severe, life-threatening injuries.  If it was not for the expert medical care and 110 units of blood he received as a result, he wouldn’t be alive today to tell his amazing story.  That’s right, I said 110 units of blood.  110 people donated blood to save Larry Frederick’s life.  You too can give the gift of life.

Giving the gift of life is exactly the message Larry is trying to communicate through Life Across America 2010, his 52-day bicycle ride across the US.  Larry rode across the country with his daughter to raise awareness about and promote the need for blood donations.  He’s now on his way back home, and he’s stopping in Greenville, SC.  Larry will be at The Blood Connection’s Greenville Donation Center at 435 Woodruff Rd. on August 7 from 9am to 3pm.

I urge all the cyclists in the Upstate to stop by the Blood Connection and give the gift of life.  Your simple act of donating blood will actually save lives in our area.  They say, “the life you save could be your own,” but it could also be your mother’s or brother’s or daughter’s or friend’s or coworker’s or even a complete stranger’s.  When it comes to saving a life, does it really matter what your relationship to the lucky winner is?  I say it doesn’t, so let’s make a serious positive impact on our community and let’s save some lives.  If you stop by on August 7, Larry Frederick will thank you personally for your commitment to saving lives.  And he knows firsthand what it feels like to really thank a person for a truly selfless act.  I hope I see you at the Blood Connection next week.  If you can’t come on August 7, just come when you can.  We need your help.