11-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Hosts Blood Drive for Kids

An 11-year-old boy who beat leukemia five times is making sure other kids get the blood transfusions that saved his life.

Seth Walsh received more than 225 blood transfusions during his cancer treatment, most of it donated by people in his Louisville, Kentucky community. Without those donations, his mother Michelle says, Seth wouldn't be here today.

"There were so many times where Seth would have died if he didn't get a blood transfusion," Michelle explained. The chemotherapy destroys so much of the body's system that transfusions become literally life-saving.

That experience inspired the Walsh family to create Seth's Squad, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families. One of their biggest missions is ensuring children have access to the blood they desperately need during treatment.

"When I was in treatment, I had to get, like, a lot of blood," Seth remembered. "And there were only a few donors out there."

On Tuesday, the family hosted their sixth annual Rise of the Donor blood drive in Mount Washington. The event is just one way Seth's Squad works to fill a critical gap in pediatric cancer care.

The Ripple Effect

Over six years, Seth's Squad has collected more than 500 blood donations. Each donation can save up to three lives, Michelle points out, something medicine alone cannot replicate.

The impact extends far beyond the numbers. The Walsh family knows firsthand how terrifying it is to wait for blood while your child's life hangs in the balance. By organizing these drives, they're sparing other families that same fear and uncertainty.

Seth, now cancer-free, understands the weight of what his family has built. "It was rough and very struggling for my family and me," he said. "We're doing this to make more donors for a more chance of kids' survival."

The Walshes plan to continue their blood drive efforts for many years to come, turning Seth's second chance at life into hope for countless other children.