EDGEWATER -- The Edgewater Fire-Rescue will host a blood drive and bone marrow screening Saturday in honor of Miami-Dade Firefighter Catherine Wall, who is fighting Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a very serious and aggressive disease of the bone marrow, said Edgewater Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Lt. Jill Danigel.
Wall is a 24-year veteran of MDFR and has received various accolades for her volunteerism and community involvement, said Danigel, also Edgewater's fire marshal.
Most recently, she was a second place winner for the 2008 Miami-Dade County Employee-of-the-Year Award and a recipient of the Employee-Excellence Award at the 2008 MDFR Medal Day Ceremony.
"Firefighter Wall has selflessly volunteered her free time helping others in our community," Fire Chief Herminio Lorenzo said.. "She is the type of person that dedicates her life to serving others, both on duty and off duty with her involvement in the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the United Cerebral Palsy Association as well as many of our own members. We are asking the community for their assistance to help her find a bone marrow match."
Florida’s Blood Centers’ “Big Red Bus” will be at Fire Station No. 57 (2628 Hibiscus Drive) from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
Donors will receive a $10 Publix gift card, a buy-one, get-one-free coupon for a bag of Christopher Bean coffee and 50 percent off admission to the Gaylord Palms ICE! Program. The staff of the Big Red Bus will also be offering screening for possible bone marrow donors via a painless swap of a donor’s cheek.
Edgewater Fire-Rescue members are hoping for a successful drive in honor of firefighter Catherine Wall. A drive was held nearly one year to the day of this year’s drive in honor of one of its own, Butch Hatton. Butch was battling a cancer like condition that required numerous blood transfusions. Nearly 25 pints were collected in his honor and Interim Fire Chief Steve Cousins is hoping for a similar success.
“Last year we saw the selfless generosity of the donors in honor of Butch," said Stevens, also a captain. "He has made a terrific recovery and we are hoping to give the same chance to FF Wall through the blood donations and bone marrow donor screenings”.