BOSTON  — The first professional football game Eric Jellison attended in person was Super Bowl LX, thanks to a blood donation he made in January 2026. 

Eric has been a blood donor most of his life, but it was his donation on January 2 near his home in Wakefield that became a game-changer. Eric was randomly selected from a nationwide pool of donors to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX, along with tickets to the game and pre-game activities, the Super Bowl Experience and a $1000 gift card. The package was part of a partnership between the Red Cross and the NFL to thank football fans for giving the gift of life.

Eric, though, has an even bigger motivation for giving blood. He experienced a traumatic injury at a young age and needed blood transfusions. As soon as he was old enough to become a blood donor, he made a promise to continue giving blood with the Red Cross, an organization he credits for saving his life.

“If the simple act of donating blood did what it did for me,” Eric said, “how could I not pay it forward?”

The American Red Cross faced a severe blood shortage this past summer, as requests from hospitals exceed the available supply of blood. Donors of all blood types, especially those with types O, A negative and B negative blood and those giving platelets, turned out to help stabilize the nation’s blood supply.

Special thanks to heroes like Eric who give regularly to save lives.