Nebraska Community Blood Bank hosts Team Goose Blood Drive in honor of cancer survivor

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Community Blood Bank teamed up with one very strong Nebraska kid who won her battle with leukemia back in 2022. The two are on a mission to help others that find themselves in her shoes.

Haylee Werth, a 10-year-old who others have nicknamed “the Goose,” went through 26 months of treatment, and she’s had several blood transfusions during her fight with cancer.

Now, she hosts what’s called the Team Goose Blood Drive in Waverly every year, asking for others to donate to the blood bank. Haylee’s mom said without those blood transfusions, her daughter likely wouldn’t have made it.

“There’s no substitute for blood, so we relied on that just to get her through treatment and keep her alive during that time. They do supply the blood at the Children’s Hospital where she was treated, so it’s kind of cool to see that whole process and now be able to have those donations come back to other kids that are going through the same thing.“

According to the Nebraska Community Blood Bank, roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion.

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