Story told by: Nick Gibson 

Donating blood with the American Red Cross means so much more to Amanda Graham from Ladson, South Carolina. Amanda has been a blood donor for many years, and it all started when she was in high school. 

“Almost 20 years now. I have always been very passionate about helping others,” said Amanda. “One of my goals is to get to the 11-gallon mark which is how much blood my Papaw donated when he was able to.”  

Amanda’s Papaw is now 89 years old, and her passion to help others by donating blood came full circle when her friend’s 8-year-old son received a devastating diagnosis. 

“He was diagnosed with liver cancer in November 2023. In fighting cancer, he received several blood transfusions,” said Amanda. “My best friend was working with the Red Cross to organize blood drives for him and encouraging people to donate.” 

The 8-year-old boy was eligible for a liver donation in 2024. Amanda decided to step up to the plate and donate her liver. After numerous tests Amanda was determined to be a perfect match as they both shared A positive blood type. Ultimately, the young boy received another liver donor first, but Amanda still wanted to help someone else. 

“I decided to continue and donate my own liver to another child that would need it,” said Amanda. “I ended up matching with a 9-month-old baby girl on the day that my friend’s son passed away because his cancer came back.” 

Amanda donated part of her liver to baby Sylvia Green in March 2025. They are both on the road to recovery but doing well after the donation. 

“It feels amazing knowing Sylvia will now have a better life; to know that she is going to have her whole life to be healthy from here on, grow, become a young woman in the world, and hopefully impact others,” said Amanda. 

Amanda says she will continue to donate blood and help save lives. 

“Donating just doesn’t impact the person that you donate to. It impacts their whole family, and their whole community. That’s true for donating my liver and donating blood.”  

The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. The Red Cross must collect enough blood every day to meet the needs of accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer, or sickle cell disease.  

The Red Cross urges all donors to give blood or platelets now to keep the blood supply strong this summer. Make the world brighter for patients in need. To schedule a time to give blood or platelets, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App.