North Texan Laura Catron inducted into Fresenius Kabi Blood Donation Hall of Fame
North Texan and blood donation advocate Laura Catron is a new inductee in Fresenius Kabi’s 2022 Blood Donation Hall of Fame.
For 24 years, the Hall of Fame has recognized and shared the unique stories of those who are passionate about and committed to blood donation.
Every year, Fresenius Kabi accepts Hall of Fame nominations from blood centers across the United States. Laura was nominated by Carter BloodCare in recognition of her outstanding commitment and advocacy in raising awareness and inspiring Texans to save lives by donating blood.
Laura’s daughter, Lola, was born in 2016 with a rare congenital heart defect. Within three days of her arrival, Lola had her first open-heart surgery, which required several units of blood. Since that time, Lola has had two additional major surgeries, bringing her total transfusions to 30 units.
But today, said Laura, Lola “runs and runs and runs. I guess she’s making up for lost time.”
Laura’s passionate advocacy for blood donation through Carter BloodCare is driven by six powerful words: “Thirty strangers helped save Lola’s life.”
Laura uses her platform as a social media influencer to share her personal story and raise awareness of the need for donors — her Love for Lola page has more than 9,000 followers on Facebook and more than 381,000 on TikTok.
Laura has volunteered as guest speaker at Carter BloodCare’s donor recognition events and at local high schools, urging audiences to donate. She has also hosted five Love for Lola drives, collecting enough units of blood to help 360 patients in need. In promoting these events, Laura notes, “With every heartbeat, she wins.”
Through Laura’s dedication and advocacy, people respond to her heartfelt call to ensure “a blood shortage is never the reason a child is not here.”
Laura was among 12 inductees, chosen from more than 200 nominations nationwide, announced by Fresenius Kabi on Nov. 9.
“Fresenius Kabi is honored to recognize this year’s Donation Hall of Fame inductees for playing a critical role in maintaining the U.S. blood supply and providing lifesaving resources for patients across the country,” said Dean Gregory, president, Global Commercial Operations, Medical Technologies at Fresenius Kabi USA. “Blood is a lifesaving resource for which there is no substitute, so the need for blood is constant, and the selfless contributions of this year’s inductees deserve to be celebrated.”
The company noted that the pandemic put unprecedented pressure on U.S. blood supplies, causing periodic shortages and frequent appeals for donors. The individuals and teams inducted into the Hall of Fame played a critical role in assuring blood was available when needed.
Inductees and their stories are featured in a specialized calendar used by blood centers. To read about the 2022 inductees, visit www.BloodDonorHOF.com.
About Fresenius Kabi
Fresenius Kabi (www.fresenius-kabi.com/us) is a global health care company that specializes in medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion, and clinical nutrition. The company’s products and services are used to help care for critically and chronically ill patients. The company’s U.S. headquarters is in Lake Zurich, Illinois. The company’s global headquarters is in Bad Homburg, Germany. To learn about U.S. career opportunities at Fresenius Kabi, visit www.fresenius-kabi.com/us/join-us and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 200 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 440,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products.
