Stirling Strong blood drive Feb. 22

Colfax High School will be the site of a blood drive next Monday, the blood drive being sponsored in the name of a classmate battling leukemia.

Inland Northwest Blood Center will be at the school from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. collecting blood donations.

As the school has done in the past, the blood drive is being named for Konnor Stirling, an eighth grader who has been battling leukemia for nearly two years.

“We've done them in honor of him since he was diagnosed,” said Heidi Lowe, ASB secretary, noting that doing this makes the students more aware of the need for blood with their classmate in need.

Stirling is currently being treated at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane after previously being treated at Seattle Children's Hospital. The move to Spokane was announced Friday on the Stirling Strong Facebook page.

“We are heading to Spokane tomorrow morning. It is bitter sweet. There are no transplant options right now here in Seattle. We hope to keep his leukemia in check until we find an option to treat,” the post read. “Finding a viable treatment is proving to be difficult, and the leukemia cells are showing up in his blood tests. We will not give up. We are praying for the strength and wisdom to find the right treatment. We are willing to do the work. Thank you all for the incredible support.”

Lowe told the Gazette that the last blood drive the school did, which was in November and also in honor of Konnor, saw a record number of participants.

“We had 32 last time,” she said. “We've never had that many. We're hoping to have the same or more this time.”

Lowe said that it is great to see the students willing to do things in Konnor's honor.

“It is pretty awesome,” she said.

The blood drive is open to the public.

Anyone who is 16 years or older may participate. Children under 18 need parental permission.

Those interested can register at the school, by contacting Lowe at heidi.lowe@csd300.com or online at http://www.myinbc.org.