SAN ANTONIO – Wednesday was a bittersweet day for the Gallegos family.
“We’ll forever be heartbroken, but at least we can keep his name up high,” Mike Gallegos, Sr. said.
The Gallegos family hosted a blood drive with South Texas Blood and Tissue to honor Mike Gallegos, Jr. He was 16 years old when he died battling leukemia in July.
“My grandson was the love of my life,” Corina Rodriguez, Mike’s grandmother, said. “He had such a big heart.”
Leukemia is a type of blood cancer. His family was determined to hold a blood drive in his honor.
“He went through a lot in a short period,” Mike Gallegos, Sr. said. “We’ve seen multiple kids pass due to cancer. My son is one of them.”
More than one-fourth of the blood supply is used by patients battling cancer. Right now, blood donation needs are at critical levels across the country.
“We are at an emergency level right now,” South Texas Blood and Tissue senior communications specialist Roger Ruiz said. “The need is still there.”
That’s why
“The need” is what continues to drive the Gallegos family.
It’s to “give people a chance to live,” Mike Gallegos, Sr. said. “But it does kill. That’s why we’re here today.”
If you didn’t get a chance to donate on Wednesday, South Texas Blood and Tissue has open appointments regularly.
The next blood drive is scheduled for Sept. 10 at Stevens High School.
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