Before Terry’s son, Kobe, was diagnosed with leukemia, donating blood wasn’t something he really thought about. Sure, if he saw the Big Red Bus, he would hop on and give. But it wasn’t a priority. 

That all changed after Kobe’s diagnosis. Terry was watching the calendar, waiting for the day he would be eligible to donate again.     

Terry felt that helping replenish the blood supply was the least he could do after seeing Kobe, and many other children at Arnold Palmer Hospital For Children, go through more bags of donated blood than he could even count.

Kobe was just 16 when he began his 3-year-long cancer treatment journey, but he’s always been a fighter. The teen’s own strength was further buoyed by the continued support of his family, friends, and even his “Team Kobe” Facebook page followers.

“It has been the scariest ride we have ever been on, but we are grateful for every day since because Kobe fought for every one of them,” the family wrote on his Facebook page.

Now 20 years old, Kobe’s monthly checkups continue to come back clear. And while Terry certainly would not have chosen this journey for his family, he knows that so much good has come out of it, including his passion for donating blood.

“It woke me up,” he said. “It shook me out of a trance.”