Midway students honoring classmate
By Laura Patterson
Dunn Daily Record
Blood drives are not new to Midway High School. Twice a year, usually in the fall and the spring, the American Red Cross visits the school at Spivey’s Corner accepting the “gift of life.”
What makes the upcoming event, set for 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, a little different is that members of the Student Government Association have decided to honor a fellow classmate.
Carson King, a senior at Midway and son of Nicole Nelson and Michael King, has leukemia. He was first diagnosed when he was 16, during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the schools began opening back up, Carson was one of those students who wanted to go back to school.
“He wanted to be here and doctors didn’t want him to,” said Susan Mills, SGA adviser. “He was adamant. He really wanted to be at school.”
Mills said Carson takes precautions. “He’s really good, he wears a mask still,” she said. “Education is really important to Carson. He’s just a great young man.”
It was during the first blood drive of the school year in the fall that Carson said something to Mills that gave her an idea to remind students of the importance of these events.
“Carson came into the library where we were doing (the blood drive) that time and he said, ‘thank you, Ms. Mills for doing this. You know, I could have some blood of some of these students that are donating now in me.’ It didn’t dawn on me to really think about it like that until he said that,” Mills said. “At that point, I said the next one we do, it will be in his honor. It really hit home.”
Mills hopes by honoring a fellow classmate, the importance of blood drives will be realized by students, as well as members of the community.
“We thought that especially young people do not realize how one pint of blood can save up to three lives,” she said. “You can tell them that, but it doesn’t really hit home until you think about one of your friends or one of your classmates.”
Carson is a little embarrassed by all of the attention, but is happy to be helping others.
“It feels great knowing that me being honored may encourage more people to donate blood for others who need it,” he said. “I am not used to having my name in the school announcements or getting this publicity.”
Students must be 16 years old and have parental consent in order to donate blood.
“We have the forms for them to take home and have their parents to sign,” Mills said.
The blood drive is also open to the public.
Those wishing to donate can go online and make an appointment. Visit redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code “Midway” and it will take you to the Midway High School page where you can sign up.
