NAPLES, FLa. -- A community blood drive in Naples is providing volunteers a chance to donate their own blood for the Orlando shooting victims.195 miles separates Naples and Tampa, but when Sunday mornings Orlando massacre resulted in the bloodshed of dozens, NCH in Naples wants distance to be no deterrent in saving lives.
"When we see a disaster of the magnitude that was experienced in Orlando, we know that they're going to have a very high demand and they need to have the blood on the shelves ready to treat those patients at that time," said Sheila Phillips, the Blood Center Director.
The community blood center at NCH helps ensure blood reaches those shelves through the generosity of volunteer donors like David Locke, whose still distraught over the devastation. "My immediate reaction ? Sorrow. Very sad."
As he lays in the patient bed pumping his blood away, he knows each drop is a valuable contribution. "We cant be there to help them, but we can help them in this way," said Locke.
David's donation could go a long way. His one unit of blood collected could go towards saving three lives. And with over 50 people hospitalized in Orlando, there's a need for an adequate supply of blood for every for every patient.
