Blood drive in Goodyear in honor of 7-year-old who died in 2019
An upcoming blood drive is in memory of a 7-year-old who died in 2019.
Hunter Gross was born July 12, 2012 with a congenital heart defect and at 5 weeks old had his first blood transfusion and open-heart surgery. On July 11, 2019, one day before his seventh birthday, Hunter went through his second routine open-heart surgery to have his pulmonary valve replaced but experienced complications and had to be put on life support.
Two days later, he seemed to be recovering and was taken off life support. However, he later unexpectedly had a hemorrhage at his surgical site, according to a GoFundMe page. Medical personnel gave him CPR to revive him but he was pronounced dead in the early hours of July 14.
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An upcoming blood drive is in memory of a 7-year-old who died in 2019.
Hunter Gross was born July 12, 2012 with a congenital heart defect and at 5 weeks old had his first blood transfusion and open-heart surgery. On July 11, 2019, one day before his seventh birthday, Hunter went through his second routine open-heart surgery to have his pulmonary valve replaced but experienced complications and had to be put on life support.
Two days later, he seemed to be recovering and was taken off life support. However, he later unexpectedly had a hemorrhage at his surgical site, according to a GoFundMe page. Medical personnel gave him CPR to revive him but he was pronounced dead in the early hours of July 14.
“The night Hunter died, the hospital went through more than 100 units of blood trying to save him,” Hunter’s mother Lindsay Butterfield stated in a release from the American Red Cross. “Giving to others in memory of my boy helps to feel that his life legacy goes on.”
The upcoming blood drive is 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, March 29 at Desert West Dance Academy, 15671 W. Roosevelt St., Suite 105, Goodyear.
Hunter grew up visiting his mother’s dance studio and developed a love for dance. He spent most of his time playing in the dance studio lobby or taking tap dancing lessons along with his siblings, of which he had five, according to the GoFundMe.
“It was only fitting that I would use this space to host the drive,” Ms. Butterfield stated.
Ms. Butterfield has also encouraged all of her dance studio families and community members to donate blood during this blood drive as a way to honor her son.
“He genuinely loved people and giving to others, he was a very special boy and he loved to dance!” she stated.
A GoFundMe started last year has raised nearly $24,000 for Hunter’s family.
The blood drive comes as the Red Cross faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the American Red Cross. Healthy individuals are needed now to donate to help patients counting on lifesaving blood.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, it is important to note that officials have said giving blood is safe, and that people need to be healthy in order to do so.
To make an appointment to donate in honor of Hunter Gross, use sponsor code DesertWestDance on the Red Cross Blood Donor App, online at RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
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