Jamie Yakushewich was one of the more than 150 people who turned out to give blood Tuesday during a drive sponsored by the family of Erik Turski, who was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash last month.
There was a steady stream of his friends and family who donated their blood at an American Red Cross blood drive held in the lower hall of St. Thomas the Apostle Church.
Turski, 22, was injured when his motorcycle crashed on July 10 on Route 67 near West Street in Seymour. He has been hospitalized at Yale-New Haven Hospital since the accident, during which he lost control of his motorcycle and fell off a bridge.
The accident remains under investigation.
Read our previous stories on the accident here, here and here.
Turski’s mother, Mary Bialek, who was at the blood drive, said her son is slowly improving.
“My son is doing better, but he still has a long way to go,’’ Bialek said. “He’s making improvements every day. It’s been a rough four and a half weeks,’’ she said.
Bialek said it was important to sponsor the blood drive because her son needed 15 pints of blood when he was first brought in after the accident. She said her son is here today because he received the blood he needed thanks to donors.
Joan Bennett, district manager for the American Red Cross, said that blood drives like the one held Tuesday gets the word out that blood is needed, especially in the summer when people are on vacation.
She said the Red Cross needs to collect 650 pints of blood a day to meet the basic needs of Connecticut hospital patients. “We’re really pleased to see such a good turnout here,’’ Bennett said.
Yakushewich, who is a summer camp director in Oxford, said he did not think twice about donating blood. “I’m doing it because Erik is a really good friend and it’s nice to be able to help someone else by donating,’’ he said.
Oxford resident Tom Wendorff said he was “delighted,’’ to donate blood on behalf of Turski.
“I see so many young people here today who have been moved to participate in this blood drive. It’s amazing, the parking lot out there is full,’’ Wendorff said.
And those who gave blood also got a “sweet surprise.’’
All this month, Friendly’s Ice Cream is giving away coupons for a free carton of ice cream if you donate a pint of blood. This is the second summer in a row that the company is giving away the free ice cream coupons.
Maura Tobias, spokeswoman for Friendly’s, said they are donating the ice cream to encourage people to donate blood.
“Summer is the hardest months for blood donations, so we decided we’d give a sweet reward to people who donate,’’ she said.
There is still time to donate blood and the following blood drives will take place around the Valley this month:
Shelton Community Center, 41 Church St., Shelton, Aug. 14 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
P.A.C. (Portuguese American Club) 10 Rubber Ave., Naugatuck, Aug. 18 from 1 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
R.D.Scinto Building, 1 Corporate Drive, Shelton, Aug. 31 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
For more information call the Red Cross at 1 – 800-GIVE-LIFE.
