By Edgar Zuniga
American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region Communications Manager

It was 2020, and Faith Pitts was an energetic, kind-hearted teenager. Captain of her softball team, she graduated from Olympus High School in Holladay, Utah, happy and healthy. Yet months later, Faith died of a blood clot in her lung. Doctors used 110 units of blood in trying to save her life, but it was tragically to no avail.

“Faith was just this big bright ball of energy, and I’d like to think that’s how she still is,” says her mother, Lisa. “The night she passed, I was lying in bed thinking about how I could best memorialize her.” Because blood transfusions were used in trying to save Faith, Lisa says she thought a blood drive would be the right choice. “And I knew I had to do something so my daughter’s legacy of kindness would live on.”

So mere weeks after Faith passed away, the Pitts family and the American Red Cross of Utah hosted the first of what would become biannual blood drives, held in Faith’s honor on the anniversary of her December passing, and on her birthday, May 17. “Everyone at Olympus High loved Faith,” says Lisa, “and so the school community comes out in droves every time to donate blood in her memory.”

Faith was known for being friends with everybody and encouraging others to always look at the bright side -- particularly her senior year when the softball team faced a halt to their season because of the COVID pandemic. “Kids still come up and tell me how she influenced and helped them,” Lisa says.

Tatum Jensen is one of those kids. She says she started playing softball at Olympus due to Faith’s encouragement and now is a blood donor, also because of her. “I miss her so much,” she says, “and It makes me feel good to donate.” Tatum says she is grateful she can do something for Faith. “I think she would be overjoyed with how many people are donating, supporting, and helping other people.”

One of her coaches, Nicole Kaelin, chokes up remembering the star student athlete. “When something tragic happens, you don’t know what to do. And giving blood feels like something I can do for Faith, even though she’s not here,” Coach Kaelin says.

Faith’s mother knows the need for blood donation is constant but hosts these donor drives with the Red Cross also to raise awareness about blood clots and pulmonary embolisms. “Because she was just 18 and strong and healthy, Faith was never tested for a blood clot,” Lisa says.

How long will the Pitts family continue to put a spotlight on what happened to their daughter and the need for blood donation? “I’ll just continue every year forever, as long as I can,” Lisa says. “I try to not only spread the word about how important it is to give blood, but also about the symptoms of a blood clot – because anyone can get a blood clot… anyone.”

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.