ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Since the age of 13, Eve Collon has battled a blood disorder. It's a condition that requires monthly, mandatory blood drawls.
“Obviously, getting poked or getting your blood drawn is never fun. It’s never a delightful experience,” Collon said.
Although she dreaded walking into the clinic, Collon says she always left with a smile and a sticky symbol of completion.
"Knowing I had the choice of a fun Band-Aid kind of added an element of surprise and it always gave me something to look forward to,” said Collon, who added the Band-Aids shifted her focus from the fear of her blood work results to choosing what frozen character would cover her jab.
Unfortunately, Collon says as she grew older, she realized that simple joy was not guaranteed.
"The clinic only receives character Band-Aids if they are donated and without a donation, children will just receive just a little silk piece of tape,” the now-high school senior said.
So, with the help of her friends, family and the Birmingham City School District, Collon started up a collection of colorful Band-Aids of characters.
“We have ones for people with different skin tones, we have ones for different ages, we have cute ones that wrap around your finger and make it look like an animal is giving you a hug,” Collon said.
Last year, Collon donated 11,000 Band-Aids and this year, she is topping 16,000.
“That will last us a long time. That will probably last us the rest of the year,” said Holly Swigert, who has worked at Beaumont Health's Skandalaris Family Center for Children with Cancer & Blood Disorders for four years.
She knows firsthand how this small stamp can inspire the biggest smile and experience that Collon was able to see for herself.
“One of them pulled their sleeve up and said, 'Look, I got a dinosaur today.' And they started comparing them and I was able to see that instead of, oh, I got a poke today, I got my blood drawn, they were able to focus on something else that made them happy,” Collon said.
If you would like to donate Band-Aids, email evekate31755@gmail.com. If you would like to donate to the oncology clinic's wishlist, visit its Amazon list. To donate to the inpatient pediatric click, they also have a list on Amazon.
