Troy, Mo. - You can pick your friends, but you cannot pick your family. For Silex resident Kayla Coleman, whose sister Emma Joliffe saved Coleman’s life in March, there are no complaints towards that fact of nature. Yes, Jolliffe donated bone marrow to save Coleman’s life, but her efforts have not stopped there. This past Tuesday, Jolliffe organized a blood drive to spread awareness about the national blood shortage and to gather blood for patients in situations similar to her sister’s.
“I was two when I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, which is a bone marrow disorder,” Shared Coleman. Due to her disease, Coleman has required blood transfusions for much of her life. After undergoing a pregnancy in 2019-2020, Coleman’s body was no longer able to stave off the disease; she needed a bone marrow transplant.
Coleman’s two younger sisters (which includes Jolliffe) and her mother were matches for marrow donations, with Jolliffe being the best candidate.
“[Donating the marrow] literally sucked the life out of her,” shared Jolliffe’s father. He continued talking about the hardships of getting blood for Coleman. “[Coleman] would go to the hospital to get blood and they’d say, ‘we don’t have any [blood] to give you today.’” This crisis is not unique to Coleman; people all across the country are denied adequate blood transfusions every month.
Joliffe was tagged by a relative in a Facebook post regarding the Leaders Save Lives program that works in conjunction with the American Red Cross. The program connects students with Red Cross workers and organizers to sponsor blood drives. After researching the program (and drawing inspiration from her sister’s plight), Joliffe decided to go ahead and organize her own blood drive in honor of her sister.
The family cites their catholic faith as an inspiration and motivating factor for the blood drive, referencing the event as Jolliffe’s “Calling.” The blood drive was hosted at The Factory on Cherry Street in Troy and lasted from one p.m. to five in the afternoon. Walk-ins and appointments were hosted, with the three phlebotomist technicians on hand staying busy for the entirety of the event.
“She saved my life, but she didn’t stop there,” said Coleman in proud reference to her sister. The whole family encourages the community to “consider donating in honor of Kayla and all patients still suffering who need generous donors to save their lives.”
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