Four blood drives are scheduled next week to support a Eunice Police Officer.
The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office hosted a two-day blood drive to help out on Monday and Tuesday, and by two more drives are being hosted by the Eunice Police Department on Wednesday and Thursday.
They're all to support Eunice Police Sgt. Robert "Beef" Brickley, who is fighting cancer at 45 years old. His fellow officers and some of his older children spoke with KATC about future planned events to raise money for his treatment, including four blood drives, t-shirt sales, bake sales, BBQ sales, and more.
"He's a very fun loving guy, we call him a big teddy bear. He's always willing to help, he always puts others before him and his needs. And so you know, as fellow coworkers we feel its only right that we return that favor to him right now," said Lt. Jeremy Ivory.
Brickley is raising 6 children on his own, and is a second generation police officer. His cancer is tratable, but will require a long stay in the hospital, and with COVID-19, he won't be able to see his children.
Here are the dates, times and locations:
- August 16th from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm at the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Complex, located at 1592 E. Prudhomme Street in Opelousas.
- August 17th from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm at the Delta Grand Theater parking lot, located at 120 S. Market Street in Opelousas.
- August 18 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Eunice City Hall, 300 South Second Street in Eunice. To sign up, click here.
- August 19 from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Eunice City Hall, 300 South Second Street in Eunice. To sign up, click here.
All donations will help defray medical expenses. Please note that your donation could take up to 30 minutes. This includes the mini physical. Please make sure to bring a mask.
Two bake sales are also scheduled:
- August 18 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Eunice City Hall, 300 South Second Street in Eunice
- August 19 from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Eunice City Hall, 300 South Second Street in Eunice
Information on t-shirts for sale is below.
Here is some additional information about donating blood, provided by the sheriff's office:
"The FDA and AABB have stated that you are not at risk of contracting Coronavirus from blood donation. Donating is a safe process and people should not hesitate to give or receive blood or platelets. During a crisis, we see the best of humanity when Americans step up and help their neighbors. We have implemented additional precautions to ensure safety of our donors and staff. Our Lady of Lourdes Blood Donor Center is implementing several safety measures as an extra precaution to protect donors from potential COVID-19 exposure, limiting the number of donors on mobile buses, spacing beds to follow social distancing practices, and more stringently disinfecting surfaces and equipment. This is on top of the standard safety protocols of wiping down donor-touched areas and changing gloves after each donation, among other practices."
