VALDOSTA — Blood donors saved the lives of two Lowndes County children. The children’s families and organizers hope a blood drive this week will save more lives in the future.

Quota International of Valdosta and South Georgia Rivers Sam’s RV Club are sponsoring the blood drive later this week at CrossPointe Church in honor of Savannah Dallas, 5, and Sam Giltner, 8. Both Lowndes County children are battling leukemia.

Linda Tillman, a Quota International member, approached the families regarding the blood drive. She understands what the families face. Her grandson, Jordan Wilson, has acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Last year, Quota sponsored a blood drive honoring Jordan Wilson. Eighty-nine people registered for that blood drive, collecting 74 pints of blood. Tillman, the Dallases and Giltners know the importance of blood donations. The children have received blood transfusions.

“People don’t realize that children need blood transfusions, too,” says Katrina Giltner, Sam’s mother. Sam has received two blood transfusions since being diagnosed with leukemia last fall. “This blood drive will hopefully raise awareness that blood donations help people of all ages and maybe more people will give blood.”

Savannah Dallas has had several blood and platelet transfusions. Her family has not only experienced the life-saving aspect of blood donations but the worry of wondering what might happen if people did not donate blood.

“We’ve been down there for a transfusion, waiting all day for more blood to arrive,” says Scott Dallas, Savannah’s father.

Savannah was 4 years old late last summer when she became increasingly ill. During a three-week

period from late August to mid-September, Savannah seemed to have a persistent flu: Tired, a low-grade fever, aches and pains. But this flu would not go away and the symptoms intensified.

The usually energetic, little girl with the long-blond hair could not climb the few stairs taking her into the family’s house. Bruises appeared on her legs. Then red dots.

She had never been sick. She had just entered pre-K at Crossroads School. Scott and wife Brenda Dallas thought the illness may have come from Savannah’s first contact with many other children; the bruises from being active on the playground. As parents of older daughters, Candice Maples, 26, Arrica Dallas, 21, and Sydney Dallas, from previous marriages, they had seen their share of childhood illnesses.

But nothing quite like Savannah’s illness.

Medically, Savannah had been treated for the flu. One Sunday, with the illness persisting and the addition of the red dots on her legs, Scott and Brenda typed Savannah’s symptoms into an Internet search engine.

“The first seven hits all said leukemia,” Scott says.

They called Savannah’s doctor that Sunday afternoon. He scheduled a complete blood count for Savannah first thing Monday morning. That test led to scheduling more blood work for Savannah in Jacksonville.

There, on Sept. 15, Savannah was diagnosed with leukemia.

“This changes your life forever,” Scott Dallas says.

Since last September, the family has regularly traveled to Jacksonville for Savannah’s treatments. At first, she stayed several weeks. Now, she daily takes oral doses of chemotherapy and travels regularly to Jacksonville for more intensive chemotherapy sessions involving a port in her torso and by spinal tap.

Scott Dallas is self-employed. He devoted his full attention to Savannah’s recovery from September through February. His clients understood the family’s situation.

Still, Savannah’s care is the family’s top priority.

She takes 28 medications to keep everything balanced. She takes medicines to counter high blood pressure. Her immune system is shot. The amount of chemo can cause strokes in children, so she takes medication to stave off potential strokes. Lowering the amount of chemotherapy might strengthen the leukemia.

Now, Savannah is in the maintenance stage of treatment, but her current treatments will continue through January 2012.

Throughout, Savannah remains a little girl. Chemotherapy has taken her long blond hair but not the things a child loves.

The same can be said for Sam Giltner, the son of Doug and Katrina Giltner. Though he takes chemotherapy, he still loves playing with Legos and gaming on the Wii with his 4-year-old brother, Joshua.

When he started losing his hair, Sam witnessed community support firsthand. Stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Doug Giltner and fellow airmen in the 71st Rescue Squadron shaved their heads in solidarity with Sam. The 8-year-old had been a little nervous about losing his hair until everyone joined him.

The Giltners learned Sam had leukemia on Oct. 2, 2009. Like the Dallas family, the Giltners thought Sam had a lingering flu. So did his doctor. A round of antibiotics seemed to cure the symptoms until Sam had a relapse. When the symptoms returned in late September, they had intensified.

He was also sent to Jacksonville where Sam was diagnosed with leukemia.

“When they said leukemia, I saw the blood drain from my husband’s face,” Katrina says. “I have never seen that actually happen to someone, but the blood just drained from his face.”

Sam has undergone rounds of chemotherapy. His current chemo regimen includes daily doses at home, monthly chemo via his port in Jacksonville, and spinal-fluid chemo every three months.

“Every child is different,” Katrina Giltner says, “in the treatments they receive and how they respond.”

Sam was unable to attend second-grade classes at Dewar Elementary School from October through January. He did attend class from January through March then was unable to go to school again. While away from the classroom, a teacher regularly visited Sam at home through Lowndes County’s hospital homebound school program. Sam passed second grade and will be a third-grader when school resumes next week.

With Sam in the maintenance stage of his treatment, the family prepares for its next challenge. Doug Giltner is scheduled for deployment overseas in the coming weeks.



BLOOD DRIVE

Quota International of Valdosta and South Georgia Rivers Sam’s RV Club sponsor a blood drive in honor of Sam Giltner and Savannah Dallas, 2-7 p.m. Thursday, July 29, CrossPointe Church, 110 Northside Drive.