Red Cross Blood Drive for Ansley Gilich
Today, the American Red Cross held a blood drive in Ocean Springs in honor of seven-year-old Ansley Gilich, the granddaughter of Biloxi Mayor Andrew ‘FoFo’ Gilich.
Back in March, Ansley was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute lymphoblastic leukemia which requires multiple blood transfusions over a two-and-a-half year period.
More than 200 people were scheduled to give blood in hopes of reaching the target goal of 130 pints of blood throughout the day.
Ansley has already had two blood transfusions as well as two platelet transfusions as a part of her treatment at the University of South Alabama Children’s Hospital in Mobile, Alabama.
Quite the daily inspiration for her mother Michelle Gilich. “In every way possible, you’re making me cry. She really is, she’s just – just her strength and she just wakes up every day and still excited about life even though she’s having to go through this and she doesn’t look at the negative, she always has a positive outlook. So although none of the blood is going directly to her, each person that’s here can save up to three lives, so we have the opportunity to save almost 500 lives today.”
Ocean Springs resident Brian Sanderson Said, “Yeah, I think just the outpouring of love and support, the number of people that have showed up and waiting in line still late on a Friday afternoon shows the love that the community has for Ansley and belief in what the Red Cross does.”
The Gilich family will once again partner with the American Red Cross on October 30th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for another blood drive at the Slavonian Lodge in Biloxi.
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