Red Cross, WeLoveU Foundation host blood drive in Bolingbrook amid critical need for donations

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- People rolled up their sleeves Sunday in suburban Bolingbrook for the WeLoveU Foundation's blood drive.

Blood donations are critical, especially in the winter time when organizations see less donations.

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The event is saving lives during the holidays. Members of the Red Cross and the International WeLoveU Foundation gathered in Bolingbrook to host a blood drive.

Their goal was to get 300 units of blood during a time when donations typically dwindle.

"Many blood drives have been canceled due to weather so we're really excited and thankful that many volunteers are coming out," said Adam Bodrick, assistant coordinator for volunteering at International WeLoveU Foundation. "Blood, you can't manufacture, it could only be given so during the winter time most people they wouldn't either stay at home due to weather, and they don't come out. So that's why we make the call and say that there is a critical need."

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Sunday morning, several people came out and rolled their sleeves in an effort to help out.

"Some of our volunteers have sickle disease so if you have sick disease, you definitely need a lot of blood," Bodrick said. "So it's really amazing because the people who are giving the blood at we love you volunteer foundation actually found out that they're the ones that need it so it's really amazing just to see that what their effort that they're giving is actually coming back to them."

It is also personal for Andrew Berryman, an account manager with the Red Cross, who says blood donations is the reason he is alive today.

"I went to get my tonsils taken out in 2012. I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia. I had heart and lung failure," Berryman said. "Doctors worked on me for 14 hours. Nothing worked. They pulled me into a machine called ECMO, which shuts off your heart and lungs takes her blood out of your body, oxygenates it and pumps it back in. I was on that for 52 hours until my femoral artery on my left leg tore. open. And when that happened, of course I needed blood."

He hopes this inspires others to want to donate too.

"We can't say thank you enough for people coming out here supporting," Berryman said. "We love you being able to give to others and give their families more time together."