A Central Texas military family says they're forever grateful their son is alive today thanks to the generosity of others.
Brooke Bednarz participated in a blood drive in honor of Chris Haley, a purple heart recipient and Lampasas High School graduate.
"No parent should ever have to bury their child, and if I can prevent, if I can prevent, if I can save, if my one pint of blood can save someone's life, I'd do it every day," Donald Haley, Chris Haley's father, said.
Donald Haley's son, Chris, an Army medic, was serving in Afghanistan when two of his fellow soldiers stepped on an IED. When he went to provide aid, he too stepped on an IED.
"He took shrapnel to both legs, lost his right leg below the knee," Mr. Haley added.
"Like why couldn't it have been us cause we're grown, we had lived our whole times, not my kid who loved to play sports," Susan Haley, Chris Haley's mother, said.
The 22-year-old was immediately airlifted to a military hospital.
"The hard part, the hard part was seeing him come off the plane. He was on a ventilator, he had five wound vacs," Mr. Haley said.
Chris received dozens of blood transfusions and woke up to find out he had lost his leg when a Chaplin told him...
"With God's help, you will get through this, and it was like God touched him Himself because he stopped crying, he was fine and then he said, Dad, go check on my friends," Mr. Haley added.
Every time you or I take the time to donate blood to the American Red Cross, they receive one unit. But, on September 28th, 2011, six years ago today, it was Chris Haley who relied on such donations receiving 51 units of blood that ended up saving his life.
So, in honor of their son, Donald and Susan Haley invited the American Red Cross to town to ensure someone else's husband, wife, son or daughter would have the blood transfusions available like Chris did.
"We call it his Alive Day because he made it out alive.. and I just wanted to give back because he'd gotten so much blood that day," Mrs. Haley added.
Chris Haley now lives in Utah with his wife. He's working toward getting his Master's degree in Physical Therapy.
Copyright 2017 KXXV. All rights reserved.
