Press Release

From the Stanford Blood Center website.

Newark Toddler Will Mark First Birthday By Hosting Blood Drive For Stanford Blood Center

MEDIA CONTACTS: Michele Hyndman at (650) 723-8237 (mhyndman@stanford.edu)
Tim Gilmore at (650) 444-5767 (tgilmore@stanford.edu)

STANFORD, Calif. —Most kids don’t celebrate their first birthday by hosting a blood drive, but few of them have had a year like Newark, Calif., resident Scarlett Wecks. Scarlett turns 1 on Oct. 16, and will celebrate her extraordinary first year of life with a blood drive on Oct. 22 benefiting the Stanford Blood Center.
Scarlett’s parents, Chris and Brandi Wecks, noticed a small bruise above their daughter’s left eye when she was 2 months old. Just three days before Christmas, they learned Scarlett had a large brain tumor and her chances of survival were slim. Doctors initially told them hospice care was their only option, but a second opinion offered the family hope. In January, Scarlett underwent two brain surgeries at Oakland Children’s Hospital to remove the tumor, and then began a yearlong course of chemotherapy at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

“There was a point during the chemotherapy when Scarlett was getting a blood transfusion once a week,” said her mother, Brandi. “Over the summer her blood counts got so low, I could take one look at her and know she needed a transfusion.” The Stanford Blood Center is the primary supplier of blood for patients at Packard Children’s Hospital.

Scarlett has spent a combined total of more than 100 days at the two hospitals. When she concludes chemotherapy treatment this winter at Packard Children’s, Scarlett will undergo a cranioplasty at the Oakland hospital to reconstruct the left side of her skull.

“We also want to make sure there is blood available for the other kids we see in the clinic,” said Brandi. Scarlett’s birthday blood drive will take place Oct. 22 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Newark, 35450 Cedar Blvd.

Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call (888) 723-7831 or visit bloodcenter.stanford.edu. For online appointments, click “schedule an appointment” and search by zip code “94560.”