CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1439943
CityViewNC.com | 33 FUNERAL SERVICES ~ CREMATION ~ PRENEED JAMES LANCASTER EDWARD MERCER SULLIVAN'S Highland Funeral Service & Crematory Family Owned and Operated Funeral and Cremation Services Cremations Performed On Site Pre-planning of Funeral Options 910.484.8108 • 610 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC www.sullivanshighland.com C hemotherapy on Tuesday. Dialysis on Wednesday. And then, on ursday, there was a passel of donated Christmas gis waiting to be organized and wrapped for children in need. It was a week in December that would have exhausted many, but Olivia Watler persevered, as usual, on faith, hope and love. "She's a prayer warrior," said Bessie Demetri, a close friend. "at's where she gets her strength." Watler, who oversees the Church on the Street ministry at Northwood Temple Church, would tell you that the generosity and compassion of others are also vital to her inspiring resilience. She was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019 and frequently requires blood transfusions so that she can continue her cancer treatments. ose life- saving transfusions would not be possible without the Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center and those who volunteer to donate blood at the center. At Cape Fear Valley Health, approximately 1,100 units of blood are transfused each month. "So that's 1,100 volunteers we need each month to keep up with local patients' needs," said Lindsey Graham, marketing and public relations coordinator at Cape Fear Valley. Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center is the supplier of blood to patients throughout the Cape Fear Valley Health System, which includes Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke and Bladen counties. "ese are our friends, family and neighbors," Graham said. January is National Blood Donor Month, a vital designation since blood banks across the country suffer from severe blood shortages during the holidays. at's a fact that has been amplified due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the holidays, even regular donors can be swept up in hectic schedules, travel and caring for children at home from school on break. Winter months also bring the challenges of colds, flu and inclement weather. e National Blood Donor Month designation is intended to honor voluntary blood donors as well as to encourage more people to donate at a time when more blood is needed. Graham said the center has been struggling to keep up with the need for O