Written by Ken Rosenauer

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you,” says Shannon Alder, an American therapist and author.

The legacy of Katie Scott continued to be shared and her story told at the Fifth Annual Katie Scott Blood Drive in Overland Park, Kansas, on Feb. 4. As it turns out, this chapter of her story was epic with the donation of 318 units, a record setter for the Kansas City area.

Three additional drives — in St. Louis, Omaha and Phoenix — brought the total collected in her name to 500.

Katie’s legacy is one that began before she died in 2018 of Ewing Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. She had needed several blood transfusions as part of her treatment. Knowing that blood transfusions had helped prolong her life, when colleagues at Renaissance Financial asked her what they could do to help, she suggested launching a Red Cross blood drive. 

She died one day before that first blood drive was held in her name.

This year, despite snow all week and bitter cold, donors came out. Among them was close family friend Chris Reecht, an Olathe domestic attorney who has donated blood every year since the first drive.

He and Katie’s future husband, Ryan, met when they began playing junior golf as teens. Although Chris doesn’t always have time to donate blood at other drives, he has never missed a Katie Scott drive.

Others gathered for the occasion included members of Katie’s and Ryan’s family. While the adults donated, their children stayed busy reading or playing games on the floor outside the donation hall. It was a somewhat festive atmosphere, in many ways like a family reunion. 

The highlight of the day was a ribbon cutting by family for two new Biomed vehicles, made possible through donations by employees at Renaissance Financial totaling $106,000.

Her legacy continues.