The Pace family was enjoying a day on Patoka Lake over the Fourth of July weekend when everything changed in an instant. Five-year-old Jentry was tubing with one of his older sisters while their parents, Jana and John, watched from the boat.

“He was on the inner tube with his older sister, and they had both fallen off,” said Jana. “The rope got caught in the propeller and then pulled him under the boat.”

Moments later, Jana says John was diving into the water to pull Jentry out as she called 911.

“When we got him up out of the water and onto the back of the boat is when we truly realized the trauma that had taken place,” said Jana.

With the help of nearby boaters, John and Jentry headed to the beach. Jana and her daughters quickly followed. On shore, conservation officers arrived with a tourniquet that John used on one of Jentry’s legs to help stop the bleeding.  

“Jentry was alert the entire time,” said Jana. “By the time I made it to shore, I went over there to him, and he was white as a ghost. He was talking and asking for water.”

They were in a rural area, and Jana says the ambulance was still 20 minutes away.

“In that moment, we didn’t even know if he would survive that long because he had lost so much blood,” she said.

With the help of a conservation officer, John and Jentry were able to drive and meet the ambulance halfway. They soon arrived at a nearby hospital, where Jentry received blood and was intubated so he could be transported to a larger hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.

When Jentry arrived, they realized the extent of his leg injuries. In addition to an open femur fracture, the accident severe his femoral artery as well as causing significant damage to other bones, tendons and tissues in his leg. He underwent three surgeries, and Jana says Jentry received 24 units of whole blood, along with plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate to help him recover.

“His hemoglobin at its lowest was 5.5 and his platelets were 45,” said Jana. According to the World Health Organization, the normal hemoglobin range for a young child is 11 to 14. For platelets the normal range is 160 to 500.

It has now been more than two months since the accident, and Jentry is doing better. He started kindergarten, and Jana says he’s making progress in therapy to become stronger so he can play with his friends.

“He’s been able to navigate around the classroom with his walker, and we put a little basket on it so he could carry things,” said Jana. “He’s handling it well and keeping a positive attitude, and he’s working hard.”

Now, the Pace family is hosting a blood drive in honor of Jentry on September 20^th. Their goal is to help ensure blood products are available to patients in need.

“We know that Jentry used a lot of blood, and the thought of him getting all the blood and maybe someone else going without is not what we want,” said Jana. “When people donated, they didn’t know they would be donating to a five-year-old little boy.”

She says they’re grateful Jentry had access to lifesaving blood and they’re appreciative of community support for Jentry too. Appointments are already full ahead of their blood drive at the Phoenix Event Center in Newburgh. Jana says her husband plans to be the first to donate that day and Jana will be the last to give blood at the drive.

“We’re grateful that people are willing to give blood and it’s now set a precedent in our life,” said Jana.

We encourage donors inspired by Jentry’s courage to give blood in the days and months to come. To schedule an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter your zip code to find a blood drive in your area.

Written by Janie Bohlmann, regional communications manager.