A Northeast Mississippi man champions blood donations because of the impact donors had on his family

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – During the recent ‘Save Our Summer’ Blood Drive for Vitalant,  Chris Douglass rolled up his sleeves for the cause.

For Chris, the cause is a personal one, and it goes back to a car ride he and his mom were taking in 1985.

“I am almost a year old, and Dad worked crazy hours, one vehicle, Mom was on her way to pick him up, tapped the rear end by a vehicle, we flipped end over end into a forty-foot ditch,” Douglass said.

Chris and his mom were trapped in the car for sixteen hours until they were spotted and rescued. His mom had emergency surgery.

‘She got eleven units of blood that night, she was in a full body cast for nine months, spent a month in ICU, and nine months in that full body cast,” Douglass said.

It took Chris’ mom more than a year to recover, and once he was old enough,  Chris would tell his story and even help with blood drives at his school.  Now, he is on the Vitalant Community Leadership Council and uses his voice to spread the message.

‘Think about the most important person, and now think if they weren’t there. All the little things that would have led to big changes, kids call their moms Mom,  I have my Mom because someone donated,  period,” he said.

Donating a unit of whole blood takes about 20 minutes and can help save up to three lives. And if you’re apprehensive about the process, Chris says you’re in good hands.

‘Folks who work at Vitalant are so nice, I bet they would even hold your hand if you ask them to. Take a deep breath, little stick,  all that fun stuff.”