By Jennifer Costa, Regional Communications Director
Ben Dyer has always been a guy who works with his hands. He’s chosen professions in construction, on golf courses, in education – and for the last decade, as a raw materials planner for Poland Springs Water. On October 25, 2023, his workday started like any other. And after his shift, Ben headed to a popular restaurant for one of his favorite past times.
“I was at Schemengees playing cornhole. It was a regular league.”
A fun way to unwind after work and share a few laughs with friends. It was part of his weekly routine.
“Every Wednesday night,” he said.
Unbeknownst to Ben – and all the patrons at Schemengees Bar & Grille – that night would erupt in chaos and terror, changing an entire community forever. As Ben and his friends competitively tossed bean bags, a gunman walked into a bowling alley down the street and opened fire. The shooter then fled the scene and carried out a second attack at Schemengees. Tragically, he killed 18 people and injured 13 more. Ben was one of the wounded.
“I’m a survivor from the Lewiston mass shooting,” he said. “That night, I was shot five times.”
Bullets pierced his right arm, right leg and clipped his brachial artery – the main artery of the upper arm, supplying blood to the arm, forearm and hand. Ben knew immediately he was in trouble.
“I was bleeding pretty heavily. I had actually plugged it myself. I had my hand in the wound and had just gotten my thumb into the right position, squeezing it,” he explained. “When I finally got to the hospital, I was probably down three-and-a-half to four pints at that point. They were like, ‘He needs blood now.’”
Without hesitation, Ben told the medical team that he was O negative. A fact he knew from being a blood donor. O negative is considered the “universal” blood type. It is what emergency room personnel reach for in the most serious situations when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type. Despite its high demand, only 7% of the population have type O negative blood. Consequently, the demand for this blood product often outpaces the incoming supply.
“I don’t know exactly how much [blood] they put into me because, as I was told, as quick as they were putting it into me, it was pumping out while they were trying to clip it off. But I know for sure I got at least four pints that night… if not more. Without it, I would have died,” Ben said.
Every day, blood donors help people of all ages for a variety of reasons. Could be burn victims, heart surgery or organ donation patients, those fighting cancer or battling blood disorders as well as trauma patients, just like Ben.
“I never would have thought I needed it,” he said. “It’s not something that’s always in the front of your mind. But that night, somebody was there. Somebody before me was generous enough to give me life. They truly gave me life. I wasn’t down a pint. I was bleeding to death, and they saved my life.”
Throughout Northern New England, the Red Cross must collect nearly 400 blood donations every day from generous volunteer donors to support the needs of 80 hospitals in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Nationwide, that number balloons to more than 12,000 daily blood donations for patients at roughly 2,500 hospitals. To Ben, blood donors are heroes – selfless and amazing individuals. He says it’s hard to put his gratitude into words.
“I’m awestruck. This was not a random act of kindness. This was intentional kindness from many people because, for the amount I needed, it didn’t just come from one. That night, it took at least four people to save my life – and that’s just me. Not to mention all the others who needed blood that night too,” he said. “I can tell you from a survivor’s standpoint, you can’t really put it into words saying, ‘thank you’ because I’ll never know who it came from. Someone decided they wanted to do something nice, and I’m one of the recipients who can say, ‘thank you.’”
The Red Cross is also grateful to all donors who generously give blood to help ensure patients keep receiving critical medical care without delay. In response to the Lewiston tragedy, the Red Cross provided 175 blood products to Maine hospitals. Since donations take about three days to be collected, tested, processed and sent to hospitals, it was the blood already on the shelves that helped during this emergency. It’s also important to note every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. The Red Cross depends on the generosity of volunteer blood donors to provide lifesaving blood for those in need each and every day, not just in times of emergencies. Blood donors allow the Red Cross to respond whenever and wherever the need for blood arises.
“Because of the generosity of total strangers, I’m still here today,” Ben reflected.
He refuses to be defined – or dwell – on what happened to him that night.
“I am who I am now. I don’t have the use of my right hand or my right arm, and I never will,” he said. “I have my ups and downs, but I have more good days than bad. I’m physically different, but I’m not mentally different. I’m learning to live one-handed, left-handed.”
And don’t think he’s given up cornhole – or his get togethers. The crew is a tight-knit group who’s committed to keeping tabs on each other’s wellbeing.
“I still see many of them. We have our own group. We get together and do stuff. I still see them playing cornhole. We’re back at it.”
Ben has another very important person in his corner too.
“She and I have known each other since we were 10 years old.”
On October 25, 2025, Ben married his childhood friend.
“She is an amazing woman,” he gushed of Keela. “She stood by my side through all of this. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. We got married on the 2-year anniversary of the shooting. We took the day back for us – to make it a good day.”
Good days he gets to experience with his new bride and their beautiful, blended family thanks, he says, to blood donors.
“People need to realize that sometimes the one pint you give is one of many that goes into the same person to save their life.”
Give the gift of life. Make an appointment to give blood or platelets now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
Support all the urgent humanitarian needs of the American Red Cross.
Find a drive and schedule a blood donation appointment today.
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