BAMBERG - A blood drive honoring a very special little girl will be sponsored Tuesday, Jan. 13 by the Bamberg County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The blood drive will be held from 2-7 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church fellowship hall just off U.S. 78 in Bamberg. Door prizes and homemade cakes will be available.

Harriet Coker, blood drive chair, said the goal is to collect a minimum of 28 units.

"This blood drive is in honor of 6-year-old Katelyn Hoffman of Bamberg who has been receiving treatment for a tumor on her spine," said Coker, who has been posting flyers around town asking people to "please give blood in her honor."

Katelyn is the daughter of Amanda Hoffman of Bamberg and Brandon Hoffman of Cordova. Debbie Dexter Pigott of Orangeburg is her maternal grandmother, and her paternal grandparents, Laura and Brabham Hoffman, reside in Bamberg.

In August 2005, Katelyn was diagnosed with a sacral-coccygeal teratoma, or tumor at the base of her spine. This type of teratoma is a rare tumor which occurs in only one in 40,000 births and mostly in females.

At age 3, Katelyn under went surgery and then chemotherapy to remove the tumor. For nine months she was in remission.

Katelyn's tumor markers began to indicate problems again in 2007, and she under went exploratory surgery late that year. In March 2008, another small tumor was found and again Katelyn went through surgery and chemo. She received platelets multiple times to help strengthen her blood and fight off infection, her grandmother, Laura Hoffman, said.

"To her, this is normal," Hoffman said. "This is all she's ever known, and now she even helps (the nurses) with taking her blood samples and shaking them up."

Katelyn receives her medical care at the Pediatric Oncology Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The center includes an atrium with a library and arts and craft areas. Having access to the atrium has been a tremendous help, Hoffman said.

"Katelyn loves to read, and she has said she wants to be a nurse someday," Hoffman said. "She is very empathetic and has a natural sense for when people don't feel good."

Hoffman's church, Trinity United Methodist, has been a tremendous support throughout Katelyn's years of medical ordeals.

"It is such a wonderful feeling to have such support from the church community, no matter what our needs have been," Hoffman said. "Katelyn - she is my heart."

People don't usually think of children when they hear about a blood drive, Coker said.

"We mostly think of adults as needing it, but many, many children are in need of it, too," Coker said.

Donors can call the Trinity UMC office at 803-245-4275, or simply show up between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

To donate blood, the American Red Cross asks that individuals follow these guidelines:

* You must be healthy, at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law.

* You must weigh at least 110 pounds and not have donated whole blood in the last eight weeks (56 days) or double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days).

* "Healthy" means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, "healthy" also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control.

* Other aspects of each potential donor's health history are discussed as part of the donation process before any blood is collected. Each donor receives a brief examination during which temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood count (hemoglobin or hematocrit) are measured.

For more information on the American Red Cross, go to http://www.redcross.org or contact the Bamberg County Chapter at 803-245-5051.

T&D Correspondent Minnie Miller can be reached by writing to her at 138 Nature's Trail, Bamberg, SC 29003. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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