The MTK Blood Drive in Amarillo, TX, was the first Legacy Blood Drive. It is hosted annually by the MTK Foundation and is held in memory of Madison Taylor Knebushch, who was diagnosed and lost her battle with pediatric cancer.
Madison was diagosed with cancer in 2010 and underwent several surgeries, multipe rounds of chemotherapy and required many blood transfusions. After a hard fight, Madison passed away in January 2012 at the age of 16. Madison chose to donate her body to Texas Tech Health Science Center for research. It was her hope that it would help the medical community find a cure for this terrible disease so that others would not have to suffer. Her family has held several legacy drives in her honor at Coffee Memorial Blood Center in Amarillo. You can learn more about her story here.
In Honor of Claudius James (C.J.)
After graduation from high school, CJ started working for his father at JA Oilfield Manufacturing Inc. He was described as bold, adventerous, caring and loving. He was a shining example of the love of God and lived his life to the fullest.
Unfortunately, CJ battled Sickle Cell Anemia. This disease affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of the body. During his life, he was able to benefit from the many individuals who donated blood so he could continue to live his life as meaningfully and full as possible. His battle with Sickle Cell required a regimen of longstanding intermittent blood transfusions. During his medical treatments, CJ received hundreds of units of blood. Thanks to the generosity of volunteer blood donors in Oklahoma, CJ always had the blood he needed. He lived his life to the fullest because of blood donors. His legacy lives on through all the lives he touched.
We hosted a Legacy Drive on June 19 at South Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma City. It was very successfull and had many first-time donors participate.