A Community Fighting Against Leukemia - FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |

By:  Melina Matthes
MMatthes@kptm.com

OMAHA (kptm) - An Iowa community is pulling together to do all it can to help save one of its own, a 9-year-old child who is battling cancer. 

Isaac Gibson is an energetic fourth grader who loves spending time outside and football.  He has dreams of someday playing for a pro team.  Older brother Branden says, "he wants to go for the Vikings which I wish he would've went for the Steelers but not my choice it's his."

But 9-year-old Isaac has cancer.  He was diagnosed with leukemia in January.  As part of his treatment he needs blood transfusions often.  So to help him out hundreds showed up at the high school to give blood.  Lori Knight is the mother of one of Isaac's classmates, she says, "if you or I had a child laying in the hospital we would expect it to be there, we'd want it to be there and that's how every family feels that has a patient who needs blood no matter what the age."

"I've heard kids call it go-go juice you know because it does give them energy, gives them the ability to kind of be like themselves and I've heard parents tell me they can tell when their child needs a transfusion because they're more lethargic, they're tired, they're also pale," April Oppliger with the American Red Cross says.

Even though Isaac is blood type A positive, the American Red Cross says they need all blood types and that's why these people here at Shenandoah high school are donating their blood to help others just like him.

"Whether you know Isaac or not, there are lots of people like Isaac out there waiting on blood products and it's easy to do, it takes about an hour and you know in that hour you're potentially giving somebody else like Isaac a lifetime," Oppliger says.

"I think just getting over the stigma, it really is a simple thing to do.  You're saving someone's life, it's just a simple, simple thing and there's no substitute, there's no artificials so just get out there and do it, you'll feel so good after you do it," Knight says.

If you would like to give blood, the American Red Cross is looking for donors of all blood types.  Just call 1-800-Red-Cross.