A special blood drive is being held Tuesday, March 24 in honor of Thomas "Tank" Strickland who is the City's Community Relations Director and Special Assistant to Mayor Haslam, as well as a Knox County Commissioner. Tank will undergo surgery on Friday to receive a new kidney donated by Beverly Mulholland.
This blood drive will also be in honor of Beverly. Tank and Beverly will require several units of blood during this kidney transplant.
The blood drive is being held today in the City-County Building, the Main Assembly Room, from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. All blood types are needed, please donate!
Donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh 110 pounds or more and have positive identification. Donors can find community drives at www.medicblood.org or by calling 865-524-3074.
In addition to the City-County Building location today, donors are welcome to stop at the MEDIC Regional Blood Bank at 1601 Ailor Avenue near downtown, Knoxville. Open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Make sure and specifiy to MEDIC officials that the donation is for Thomas "Tank" Strickland and Beverly Mulholland.
Any questions regarding eligibility can be directed to MEDIC at 865-524-3074. Remember, this is your community blood center and they need your help today!
If you are eligible and would like to donate blood, here are a few things to know:
REMEMBER TO EAT WITHIN FOUR HOURS BEFORE DONATION
You will be asked to show positive identification Donors receive a free Medic T-shirt, a cholesterol level evaluation and Medic's Family Blood Coverage You will read a short brochure explaining who is at risk for the AIDS virus and other blood-borne diseases. If you believe you are not at risk for transmitting diseases, you may proceed with screening, which will take about 20 minutes. During screening, you will be asked questions concerning your lifestyle and health history. All blood centers are required to obtain this information to protect the safety of the blood supply. You also will be given a "mini-physical" -- readings of your blood pressure, iron level and temperature. When you are ready to donate, you'll notice that the needle is part of an individual, sterilized unit and touches no one except you. So, it is impossible to contract any diseases while donating. Donation usually takes about nine minutes. After you are finished, you should press on the needle stick site and hold your arm in the air for about three minutes.