Three years ago, Sherry Kemp and her husband, Don, were enjoying retirement — spending time with their grandchildren, running a flea market booth, and taking long‑awaited trips together. Then everything changed. At first, Sherry thought she had a typical case of strep throat, but it wasn't improving. When doctors ran additional tests, they discovered alarmingly low platelet counts. The diagnosis followed quickly: stage four lymphoma. From that moment on, blood transfusions became essential to Sherry. She quickly lost track of how many transfusions she received — platelets, packed red cells, and whole blood — from different donors each time. There were moments when her need for blood became especially urgent, like when the hospital's blood supply was running low. A nurse once explained the reality of the situation they were facing, saying, “You need blood, but unless you’re actively bleeding, we can’t justify it. Our supply is low.” As a former blood donor and nurse, she already kn...