Cincinnati four-year-old blood recipient celebrates life milestone by hosting community blood drive to pay it forward

Brynn Schulte has blood donors to thank as she celebrates turning four-years-old with her annual birthday blood drive coming up on Saturday, July 22. 

Brynn’s Annual Birthday Blood Drive will be held at the family’s home at 6371 Grand Vista Ave. Cincinnati, OH, on July 22 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. All donors will receive a $10 eGift card as a thank you for donating. Additionally, Brynn and her mother, Lindsay Schulte, will be at Hoxworth Blue Ash on Friday, July 21 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. to thank blood donors for their lifesaving gifts.

Brynn was diagnosed with Factor XIII shortly after she was born in 2019. Factor XIII deficiency is an extremely rare blood disorder characterized by abnormal blood clotting that may result in abnormal bleeding. Brynn had to be rushed to Cincinnati Children’s one day after she was born and through many tests and examinations, and unfortunately more ER visits, Brynn was diagnosed with factor XIII deficiency.

"It remains my mission, and will continue to be, year over year, to bring awareness to the lifesaving, selfless act of donating blood," says Lindsay Schulte, Brynn's mother.  "It is literally and figuratively the heartbeat of our family. It gives our Brynn life."

Brynn receives Corifact (human derived plasma) through a port located on her chest as part of her routine treatment plan. Blood products like plasma are a limited resource and cannot be manufactured in a lab, which means we rely on volunteer blood donors to ensure we have a steady and stable supply for patients like Brynn. To date, Brynn has received 800 infusions of plasma.

“We want to ‘pay it forward’ to those that have helped us along our journey,” Lindsay explains. “We want to show our gratitude, by giving back, as well as bringing awareness to how important, and EASY, donating blood can be. People want to ‘help’ or ‘give’ in times of crisis, and this blood drive is a way for people to truly give back.”

Appointments for Brynn’s Birthday Blood Drive are highly encouraged, though walk-ins are welcome. Donors can schedule appointments by calling (513) 451-0910 or by scheduling online at  hoxworth.org/groups/brynn. 

To learn more about Brynn’s story and diagnosis, visit hoxworth.org/donors/profiles/brynn