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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Troy Bank & Trust is once again Banking on a Cure.

Each September, TB&T hosts a blood drive in memory of Hadley May, a three-year-old who lost her battle with cancer in 2006. Banking on a Cure was founded in 2013 by First National Bank of Brundidge, where Hadley’s mother, Ryann May, worked. After TB&T acquired FNBB, the Banking on a Cure tradition continued.

“We want to take this opportunity to continue to remember Hadley May and all the other children who have fought the fight against childhood cancer,” Meredith Welch, marketing coordinator for Troy Bank & Trust, said. “One way to continue that fight is to continue to sponsor the Banking on a Cure blood drive to help find a cure for childhood cancer.”

The Banking on a Cure Blood Drive was founded in honor of Hadley Grace May, the daughter of former employees Ryann and Tony May. Hadley died at 3-years-olf from rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare muscle cancer.

The drive also honors oher special children who are battling or who lost the battle with cancer, such as Sairah Victoria Garner. Sairah, the daughter of TB&T employee Angie Garner, died in 2019 from acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

TB&T partnered with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers to host blood drives in all of TB&T’s market areas. On Friday, the first blood drives were held in Brundidge and Troy. Each blood donation has the potential to save three lives. Upcoming blood drives will be held in TB&T’s other markets.

All blood drives will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the following locations:

• TB&T East Alabama Market – Cary Creek location on Friday, Sept. 20

• TB&T Wiregrass Market – Dothan’s mid-town branch, Dothan’s main branch and the LifeSouth Mobile Unit in Enterprise on Sept. 27. 

Look for TB&T’s Banking on a Cure signage and the LifeSouth Community Center’s bloodmobile when going to donate blood. To give blood you must be in good health, 17 years or older or 16 with parental permission, weigh at least 110 pounds and show a valid photo I.D. For more information regarding LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, please visit www.lifesouth.org or call 888-795-2707.

Basic Childhood

Cancer Facts:

• Childhood cancer research is consistently underfunded.

• Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in American children.

• 47 children are diagnosed in the U.S. each day.

• 85 percent of children diagnosed with cancer are alive at least five years after diagnosis.

• Even those cured may suffer long-term side effects as a result of the treatments they received.

• Children who have been treated for cancer are twice as likely to suffer chronic health conditions later in life vs. children without a history of cancer.