Mississippi Blood Services will be hosting a special blood drive for Cortlan Gates on Tuesday, May 29th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lopes-Quave Public Safety Center on Porter Avenue.
The drive is to benefit the 14-month-old son of Biloxi firefighter Derrick Gates. In April, Cortlan developed a severe staph infection in his lungs and had to be air-transported to University Medical Center in Jackson. He ecently been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room, and the staph infection has cleared. However, he has sustained damage to his lungs and is still experiencing complications due to the infection.
The Mississippi Blood Services mobile donor facility will be parked at the Lopez-Quave Public Safety Center.
All donors will receive free T-shirts to all donors. Donors should bring identification and remember that officials suggest each donor should eat within four hours before donating blood and drink plenty of water before and after donating.
