Madeleine Luongo

Madeleine Luongo received many blood transfusions during her short life--and while she was only two months old when she passed away, her family is making sure that her short life leaves a lasting impact on the community.

Madeleine was born in 2007 with a rare birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), a life-threatening fetal abnormality that limits lung growth. Madeleine spent two months in Michigan's Mott Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, undergoing multiple surgeries and treatments for CDH.

"Madeleine fought with all the strength in her small body, but she was unable to win her battle against CDH," said Hope Luongo, Madeleine's mother. "The two months that we were blessed to have Madeleine with us were both intense and extremely precious, and her memory lives on in our lives and in our hearts."

Hope and her husband Rich had been involved with blood donation since their marriage in 1993. However, those two months with Madeleine, watching her receive transfusions during surgery and treatment, gave them firsthand insight into just how important blood donation is--and the very real impact it can have on patients and their families.

"After Madeleine was born, blood donation became very personal to us," said Hope. "Madeleine received many blood transfusions in her short life. Without these units of blood, Madeleine would not have survived the short two months that she was with us."

Now, Rich and Hope want to honor Madeleine's memory by supporting the local blood supply and raising money for families affected by CDH.

"It has now been 10 years since we welcomed Madeleine into our lives and we want to commemorate this occasion with a dedicated blood drive," Hope said. "And because of Madeleine, we continue to recognize the importance of keeping our community blood supply at safe levels."

"For each person who donates during Madeleine's blood drive, our family will donate $5 to CDC International, the largest non-profit organization for families affected by CDH. This organization is dedicated to promoting research, raising awareness and eradicating CDH, for which the survival rate is 50% and there is no known cause. Together, we can help save lives!"

Madeleine's memorial blood drive will take place on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at Hoxworth's Blue Ash location (9708 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati) from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.