By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

“The life of every creature is its blood,” Leviticus 17:14. Renee’ and Scott Wilder of Fourmile know this firsthand. Their only daughter Mollie was diagnosed with medullablastoma, a form of brain cancer last year at age 10. Mollie has endured major brain surgery, 30 radiation treatments and seven rounds of chemotherapy to fight the cancer in her body.

On Aug. 6, she will have another MRI to determine the status of her brain tumor. Throughout her treatment, Mollie has needed blood and platelets transfusions many times.
“During these 11 months of treatment, it has quickly come to my attention for the need of blood products,” said Renee’. “Mollie’s blood type is O negative and she has to have O negative red cells when she needs blood and RH negative platelets.
On more than one occasion we have been faced with the need and there not being anything available.  We were able to set up direct donation through Red Cross to help ensure that she always has what she needs, but this does not help all the other childhood cancer patients that we come in contact with at Children’s Hospital. I quickly decided that it was going to be a mission of mine to try to increase the awareness of the need to donate blood on a regular basis. Lives depend on blood donation. People need blood for many reasons, accident victims, blood disorders, cancer patients, surgery patients and much, much more.  You can help save someone’s life just with a pint of blood.”
Last April, Sherrie Booth coordinated a blood drive in honor of Mollie that exceeded expectations. Renee’ has set up a second blood drive in honor of Mollie on Friday, Aug. 1 from 1-6 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the activity room at the First Baptist Church of Columbiana. Bring a photo ID or your American Red Cross donor card. You can donate at age 17 with parental consent. To make an appointment, go to Redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: molliewilder or call 1-800-744-2767. For more info call Booth at 617-8254 or Donna McClure 753-8253.