Accident still motivating victim to work for blood donations

March is Red Cross Month, and one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who takes that to heart more than Alison Cook.

Cook, formerly Alison Metzger when she attended Marcus High School, has made the American Red Cross a part of her life. That’s because in 1997, the organization saved hers.

It was two weeks before Cook was set to leave for the University of Texas to pursue a degree in business. Returning home after a party in Justin one night, her plans were derailed when she was involved in a major accident in which the car carrying her and six other teens tipped and rolled on top of her.

Cook suffered mostly abdominal injuries, putting her in intensive care for three months. She was in and out of the hospital for seven months and admits she didn’t know what was going on for the first two months.

There was a night when doctors called Cook’s parents — Flower Mound Fire Chief Eric Metzger and wife Janice — to recommend they get to the hospital because it appeared Cook wouldn’t live through the night.

Her situation required 25 units of donated blood for her first few surgeries. To put it in perspective, the average person has 12-14 units of blood in them.

Cook received her blood from donations made long before the accident. She also received news that there were three blood drives hosted by the community in her honor.

“The first thing I realized was that the community had hosted blood drives for me,” Cook said. “It was really powerful for me to hear about schools sponsoring blood drives and people who had never donated blood before doing it now. It was humbling to find out that people my age had donated blood for me.”

The accident changed Cook’s career path, she said, as well as her view on the importance of blood donation. She decided to attend Baylor University, where she received a degree in neuroscience. Today she uses her story to help educate the public about blood donations.

Cook began working at the American Red Cross in 2007 as a community recruiter, where she worked with blood drives. She later moved to the hospital services department, which allocates where the finite supply of blood goes.

Cook is now the donor resource development supervisor of the Texas region, and she oversees blood collection statewide. Currently, she has 10 recruits across the state spreading the message.

“It has been a unique experience to go back there and work directly with the staff after I had spent so much time there,” Cook said.

Cook frequently speaks about the Red Cross’ mission and the constant need for blood donations.

In trauma cases, there is little time for cross matching, so patients need type “O” negative blood, which is a universal supply.

“All types are important,” Cook said. “But, there is always a shortage of “O” negative because of the required demand.”

She said one goal of the Red Cross is to increase the participation from regular donors.

“It’s everyday donors who are everyday heroes,” Cook said.

Among the tools Cook uses in discussing the importance of maintaining a healthy blood supply is a letter written by President Barack Obama urging the awareness of blood services and disaster services missions.

In it, Obama notes that Texas must import two-thirds of the state’s supply from other states because of the high volume of critical care patients here. The American Red Cross supplies 44 percent of the blood supply nationwide.

The letter also stated that neonatal units have a special need for “O” negative blood donors to help premature or sick babies survive in the earliest days of life.

The American Red Cross is the backup supplier for the U.S. military, and it is crucial in disaster services missions.

“It’s the one drug we can’t manufacture,” Cook said. “And, you can’t compel someone to share it. Less than 25 units come from an average blood drive.”

Metzger said while he is used to seeing the need for blood donations in his line of work, he took a whole new appreciation for it after the accident.

“It was inspiring to see all the people donate blood,” Metzger said. “There were 300 units donated. Of course, it helped Alison, but it also helped other people because each unit can save three lives.”

Metzger said blood donation is particularly important in Texas.

“This area is a medical hub,” Metzger said. “A lot of people travel here for medical procedures. Plus, we’re an import state, so that makes it tricky. The supply can be depleted if something happens.”

Cook said the Red Cross prefers to begin each day with a three-day supply, though many days begins with less than a single day’s supply.

Cook thinks of all the things she can do now that at one time seemed unlikely she would ever do again — jogging, driving, traveling, getting married. She also looks to the future and is grateful for the American Red Cross for the possibilities that are ahead of her.

“These are things that I would have missed out on if it weren’t for the donors,” Cook said.

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