"Somebody's gonna get some awesome blood."

–James Eunice

James donated blood for the one and only time on December 23, 2010. He went to church with us the next night on Christmas Eve and left afterward to join his friend Emmaline Wilder and her family at Waffle House near Exit 22. He went to their house that evening to watch movies and shared that he had donated blood the day before, telling them, “Someone is going to get some awesome blood.” He went missing while duck hunting on January 15, 2011, 23 days after donating blood. Later that year, the Red Cross and CrossPointe Church asked if we would consider sponsoring a blood drive in James’ honor that December. We agreed and held the first James Eunice Legacy Blood Drive on December 22, 2011. The community responded by donating 236 pints of blood at that first drive. At the time, it was the second-largest amount ever collected on that day in the state of Georgia.

We’ve hosted a blood drive every December since. We’ve been blessed each year, despite enduring tornado watches and warnings for two of the events. It’s always a wonderful reunion, with many of our donors coming back year after year, along with many of the same Red Cross workers. We held last year’s event on December 18 and had pretty much decided it would be our last year, telling several of the workers from Red Cross. They were very gracious about it but asked if we would reconsider. We pressed forward with the event that day, collecting over 60 pints. We were blessed with several of our scholarship recipients stopping by, some to donate blood and others just to say hello. Janet Hendley brought a goat from Fifth Day Farms, and many of our donors took a picture with a goat. We’re pretty sure it was the first blood drive with a goat. As we wrapped up the day, we were still pretty sure it would be our last drive.

But, as they say, life happens. Each year, we would highlight the importance of donating blood and the numerous lives it could impact. That message became personal to us on the morning of April 8, 2020, when Tammy’s dad fell and fractured his hip and broke his leg. Dr. Justin Cowart performed surgery that afternoon. Wallace stayed in the hospital for 23 days and, over the course of that time, received four units of plasma to help rebuild his strength. Dr. Cowart told him that most people his age and with that severe a break would never leave the hospital. Wallace is now living with us but still drives his own car at 90 years of age. While I’m sure a lot of that is due to good, clean living, those four units of plasma and lots of prayer were crucial to his recovery. We decided we had to do another blood drive and hosted the 10th Annual James Eunice Legacy Blood Drive on December 16 at CrossPointe Church. Thanks to Tina Etheridge and Red Cross for setting up the drive, CrossPointe Church for hosting, and Travis Pate State Farm Insurance for helping promote this year’s event. 2020 was already a memorable year for so many of the wrong reasons. Fifty-four donors made it a better year for someone by giving the gift of life. I’m sure whoever donated the units Wallace received had no idea whose life it would directly impact or how much of a difference it would make in the lives of so many others, like his great-granddaughter Betty, who can now FaceTime with her Papa Wallace. As the old hymn says, there’s power in the blood. Give the gift of life. You may even help somebody’s Papa Wallace.