Blood Drive at Miller YMCA To Help Local Teen and Children's Hospital

Sept. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- NEWBURY PARK, CALIF.--Newbury Park teen Andreas Knickman was diagnosed with bone cancer on July 8, 2009 and immediately underwent surgery to repair his leg and to remove a nodule in his lung. He is now receiving chemotherapy at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. At Andreas' request, the Miller Family YMCA is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, September 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (320 Via Las Brisas, Newbury Park) with donations benefiting Children's Hospital.

   "The blood drive is important because anyone like me-- who needs surgery--needs blood," says Andreas, an eighth grader at Sequoia Middle School. "Otherwise, it would be impossible to have the surgery to fix my leg. It's also important for me to give back to Children's Hospital for the care I've gotten, and collect blood for other patients."

   "By donating blood on September 29, you will be making a difference in the life of Andreas as well as the lives of many children at Children’s Hospital," says Jill Shaffer, executive director of the Miller Family YMCA. "There is such a constant need for blood donations at the hospital that we're hoping we'll see a lot of donors on September 29."

   For Andreas, the outlook is good. "Andreas has a great team of doctors who are very optimistic he will have a full recovery," says Debbie Knickman, Andreas' mother. "It will be long and difficult road, but we also believe there will be a positive outcome."

   For more information, contact Jill Shaffer at 805-480-0309 or e-mail
jshaffer@millerymca.org.

Contacts:
Jill Shaffer
Executive Director
Miller Family YMCA
805-480-0309
jshaffer@millerymca.org

Diane Rumbaugh
Rumbaugh Public Relations
805-493-2877
rumbaugh@earthlink.net