Tag Archives: blood donor

February 2017 — Seven weeks before her baby’s due date, Jamie Matney’s perfect pregnancy took a sudden turn. She awoke at 4:00 a.m., feeling a gush. “I thought my water broke,” she said. But she had suffered a placental abruption, a condition in which the placental lining separates from the uterus. Wyatt was born via […]

Sid McConnell, of Niangua, Missouri, has been a frequent blood donor at Community Blood Center of the Ozarks since 2002. In December 2020, he suddenly became a blood recipient when he underwent a quadruple bypass. While in the hospital, Sid noticed the “Thank The Donor” tags and learned how easy it would be to send […]

Twenty-eighteen has been a big year for 18-year-old Kelsie Mitchell. She was one of nine valedictorians graduating from Springfield’s Kickapoo High School, served on student council’s Cabinet leadership group, and was a member of the National Honor Society. And she has made plans to attend Truman State University in the fall. But just eight years ago, her main accomplishment was survival. “That’s […]

“Every door we passed had a sign on the outside that read, ‘Chemo in progress,’” said Laura Winstead as she remembered being admitted to Cox Hospital in Springfield for what her physician said would be a couple of nights for tests. “My husband and I just looked at each other as I had a slow […]

“I’ve been involved in sports and fitness my whole life,” said Dylan Harris, who earned a degree in Exercise and Movement Science at Missouri State University, became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Crossfit coach, and even participated in competitive bodybuilding. Despite his passion for health and taking excellent care of himself, Dylan became […]