CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After more than two years of cancer treatment, 6-year-old Greenleigh Gafford recently entered remission from leukemia. “I had no idea that blood transfusions had any relation to her cancer diagnosis,” her mother, Stephanie Gafford, told Clarksville Now.
Over the course of treatment, Greenleigh received about 27 blood and platelet transfusions. “When Greenleigh would go in, she had bruises all over her, her skin was very pale, and she just wasn’t able to function,” Gafford said. “After an infusion, her skin color starts to come back. She perks right up.”
Those transfusions, she said, made survival possible. “If people don’t donate, how are kids going to live?” she said.
On Dec. 18, 2025, Greenleigh walked down the hallway at Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, flanked by cheers from family and friends, to ring the bell, celebrating the end of her cancer treatment.
Video contributed by Brooke Katz with Blood Assurance
Gafford said she is grateful for the donors whose blood saved her daughter’s life. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said through tears. “There are no words that can really thank a person enough.”
Community blood donations make difference
As blood banks warn of ongoing shortages, community leaders in Clarksville are encouraging residents to donate.
The City of Clarksville and Blood Assurance held the city’s first blood drive of the year on Jan. 22, and Mayor Joe Pitts was the first to donate. “As our community grows, the need for blood grows as well,” Pitts said. “We need everyone to do their part.”
“If it weren’t for people donating locally, we couldn’t take care of people locally,” Gafford said.
How to donate
Blood Assurance is located at 1767 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling (931) 919-2591.
The American Red Cross is located at 1760 Madison St. More information is available on their website or by calling (800) 733-2767.
| PART 3 IN A SERIES:
- ‘I might not have been here’: How donated blood saved mom of newborn twins
- ‘A lifeline’: Clarksville patients depend on regular blood transfusions to survive
| DON’T MISS A LOCAL STORY: Sign up for the free daily Clarksville Now email newsletter