Registration is now open for the seventh annual Dan Licardo Honoring Our Heroes Blood Drive in September.
The blood drive, hosted by the Summit Club of Flower Mound at the Cross Timbers Family YMCA, has set a goal of collecting more than 200 units of blood to honor military members and first responders. The blood drive to “honor our heroes” was started in 2018 when Dan Licardo, a former Navy SEAL and friend to many Summit Club members, was involved in a catastrophic car accident that took both of his legs and required doctors to use 94 units of blood to save his life, according to a Summit Club news release. Licardo suffered a grand mal seizure while driving down a major thoroughfare in Flower Mound. He lost consciousness and suffered violent muscle contractions that caused the car to accelerate and swerve off the road into a large tree. Months later, Licardo came to realize the seizure was caused by the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury due to years of explosives training and multiple tours of combat in the Middle East. TBI is a common diagnosis for many returning veterans. Licardo grateful to the people who worked tirelessly to save his life.
“There’s not enough I can say about the first responders, the Care Flight team and the doctors who worked so hard to save me after the crash,” Licardo said. ”If it weren’t for the equipment, the staff and the training provided by the citizens of Flower Mound, my story could have had a much different ending.”
Today, blood is needed now more than ever.
“Most people don’t realize blood is a perishable item with a shelf life of about 42 days. To make sure hospitals have what they need, the blood supply has to be replenished regularly but only about 3% of people who can give blood actually do. I completely bled out seven times before the doctors could save me,” Licardo said. “I was thankful to have friends who stepped up to donate and now, I’m excited to help pay that forward by making the blood drive they started for me an annual community event here in Flower Mound.”
The Dan Licardo Honoring Our Heroes Blood Drive is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 7 at the YMCA, 2021 Cross Timbers Road. Donors should schedule a time to give blood today. To register, click here.
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