RICHMOND, Va. -- For nearly 20 years, Richmond Master Firefighter Jonathan Clarke suited up to fight fires. Now, he's fighting a different kind of battle.
When Clarke visited his primary care doctor for a routine check-up in May 2022, he left with a life-changing diagnosis - leukemia.
"It does change your life and everyone around you. From your family to your postal worker that brings you mail. It just changes everybody that knows you," Clarke said.
As he underwent treatment, Clarke said a blood transfusion saved his life.
"I would never have thought, 'Hey, I'm going to need blood one day,' when I was donating, but here I am. I needed blood, and people donated somewhere so I could get it," Clarke said.
His firefighting friends, like Curtis Watkins, spent their Wednesday donating blood with the American Red Cross, in Clarke's honor.
"It's something we can do for each other, so it's something Jon would do for me. So, it's something I'd do for him," Watkins said.
All of the appointment slots for Wednesday's blood drive were completely filled.
"Maybe it happened to me to help someone else, maybe it happened to me to have this blood drive, where this blood goes to help someone else live a longer life," Clarke said.
More blood donation opportunities can be found here.
