Nick DyerA blood donor clinic, Feb. 5 in the student centre, is dedicated to the memory of Nick Dyer, younger brother of UWindsor student Kaitlyn Dyer.

Blood donor clinic dedicated to student’s late brother

The day before the biggest exam of her life, Kaitlyn Dyer received a phone call that still gives her nightmares — her 16-year-old brother Nick had been in a car accident.

“I was left alone in Toronto to write my paralegal licensing exam, because that is what Nick would have wanted,” recalls Dyer, now a third-year student of political science.

Her brother died in March 2017 after almost a month in critical care, undergoing multiple blood transfusions in the course of his treatment.

“I took the blood bags for granted in the moment, as I only truly saw them as a substance keeping my brother alive,” says Dyer. “It wasn’t until almost a year and a half later that I truly understood and valued these blood bags, and that moment was when I donated for the first time.”

She has written an account of her experience in the hope of inspiring others to join her in giving the gift of life.

“Blood donation can seem very distant, but your blood bag is helping someone in an immense amount of ways, even if you don’t get to see it or get recognition from it,” she wrote. “I hope my family’s story can get at least one person to donate, or one person to start donating regularly.”

Read the entire article, entitled “#WhyIDonate.”

Canadian Blood Services has dedicated its donor clinic on Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the CAW Student Centre Commons, to the memory of Nick Dyer.

The clinic will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Walk-in donors are welcome, but appointments will better accommodate donors’ working schedules. To book an appointment, call 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283).

As with previous clinics, the Department of Human Resources encourages all eligible employees to participate in this worthwhile process and asks any employees who wish to donate to make the necessary arrangements with their supervisors regarding the possibility of extended lunch or break periods.