KAILUA-KONA — The Kona community lost a friend the day Elvis Sheppard died from injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash on Hina Lani Street in April.
His death, however, sparked a movement, which allowed Sheppard’s loved ones to take a devastating event and turn it into something good.
“When tragedy strikes, it puts a lot of things in perspective,” said Christina Garcia, friend to Sheppard.
The inaugural Elvis Sheppard blood drive kicked off Thursday.
Sponsored by Sheppard’s friends, the drive was put on by the Blood Bank of Hawaii and hosted at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church house in Kailua-Kona.
The drive continues today and runs from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted.
Sheppard’s friend, Anne Broderson, and his fiancée, Jen Davis, were inspired to sponsor a drive the night Sheppard was being treated for his injuries.
Broderson, also a nurse at the Kona Community Hospital, was involved in the 43-year-old’s care the night of the crash. She said 70 units of blood products were used that night to keep Sheppard alive. An average transfusion is one, maybe two units of blood.
At one point, the hospital ran out of platelets and Broderson drove to Hilo in the middle of the night to bring her friend more to help him survive.
Broderson said the hospital does sometimes run out of plasma and platelets.
It was this experience that shined a light on the island’s need for blood donations. So, Broderson and Davis followed through with their inspiration to make it a reality.
As a result, the Elvis Sheppard blood drive is the largest sponsored drive the Blood Bank has ever hosted in Kailua-Kona, filling more than 300 appointments.
“I think initially I had zero expectations and I’m blown away,” Davis said.
Broderson said a lot of the people who showed up Thursday were first-time donors.
One of those donors was Garcia. While she’s donated in Florida in the past, she said this was the first time she’s given blood in the community she was raised in.
Garcia said she came to donate because it’s needed on the island.
“It’s not just to be a Good Samaritan,” she said. “It’s important to be more educated on how to save a life, because at the end of the day it could be your life.”
Garcia and her husband were close friends with Sheppard.
“Unfortunately we had to lose him in order to wake up,” she said.
Officials at the Blood Bank of Hawaii report the state needs 200 donors daily to meet patient needs. As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Broderson said, 84 donations were successfully received.
Davis said the support for the drive has been amazing.
“So many things happen here in this community that are so special,” she said. “The giving nature is so amazing.”
Broderson and Davis plan to continue the drives every summer. Broderson said there is going to be a continuous need every summer.
The duo plan to eventually have themed drives where people can dress up.
“It has to be a party,” Davis said. “He’d never want people to be sad.”