Cameron Bragg did it in honor of his late grandfather — and to benefit City of Hope patients like him.
With a tourniquet around his arm, the young man squeezed an orange sponge in his fist. He reclined comfortably in one of five beds in City of Hope’s new bloodmobile and watched as a technician deftly slid a needle into the crook of his arm.
 City of Hope’s bloodmobile shares space with Bragg Companies equipment at a recent blood drive. (Photo courtesy of Sonya Budilo) |
This was neither Bragg’s first blood donation, nor likely his last.
“I knew how crucial donated blood was for my grandfather when he was going through chemotherapy. So why wouldn’t I help somebody else?” he said. “It’s just the right thing to do.”
He was one of dozens of Bragg Companies employees who participated in a particularly meaningful blood drive at the organization’s Long Beach, Calif., facility. The drive served as an example of the profound contributions that caring friends and family members can make when they find creative ways to support the fight against cancer.
George Bragg, Cameron’s grandfather and the crane company’s former president, received treatment for leukemia at City of Hope before his death in 2009. Grateful for his care and determined to help others in need of donated blood, the Bragg Companies rallied to raise funds for City of Hope’s bloodmobile, which was unveiled in March.
“The Bragg family’s support was essential to expanding our mobile blood collection program, which goes a long way toward better serving our patients and their family members,” said Shirong Wang, M.D., M.P.H., chief of the Division of Transfusion Medicine and director of the Michael Amini Transfusion Medicine Center.
Because George Bragg relied on blood infusions during treatment, the family set up blood drives early on and encouraged well-wishers to donate blood at City of Hope. In all, the Braggs’ efforts have provided more than 500 units of blood and platelets.
In May 2009, the company turned its annual golf tournament into a charity event to commemorate their former president. Through the event, sponsors, vendors and employees contributed $35,000 toward the bloodmobile.
Employees were thrilled to see their efforts come to fruition. The recent blood drive, one of two the company holds each year, took place April 19 — what would have been George Bragg’s 70th birthday.
“When I saw the bloodmobile, it almost brought tears to my eyes,” said Connie Jeffries, who coordinated the golf tournament. “It feels like we really accomplished something.”
To learn more about donating blood or platelets or to arrange a bloodmobile visit, contact the Blood Donor Center at 626-471-7171 or donateblood@coh.org.
