Meet Kelsey Garrett
Full-time mom, team member and blood donor
Kelsey is a blood donor and patient access services supervisor for Big Rapids and Reed City hospitals. A Big Rapids resident since graduating from Ferris State University in 2012, she has been with Corewell Health for 13 years. Kelsey has also been a blood donor since the fall of 2021, when she saw firsthand how important blood donation could be.
Kelsey dropped her 2-year-old son Rowen off at day care and went to work. Just a few hours later, she received a call from daycare that her son had an accident. His eyes had rolled back in his head, and he fell backward, and he didn’t immediately get back up. It took him some time to get back on his feet.
She knew he needed to go to the emergency room. She picked Rowen up from day care and took him to the Big Rapids emergency room. After some testing, Kelsey realized no one was saying much of anything.
“I knew a lot of the team members there because I worked there. And no one was saying anything to me. No one was telling me a diagnosis,” Kelsey said. She was then informed her son was being transported to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
“One of the nurses hugged me and didn’t let go. She held on for too long. I knew something was wrong. In that moment, I just knew it was not OK,” Kelsey said.
So, while Rowen went in the ambulance with her husband to Grand Rapids, Kelsey went home to pack a bag and planned on meeting the two of them at the hospital.
When she arrived at the hospital, she heard her husband say, “Just wait, she’s walking in right now,” speaking to a doctor. She said the world around her slowed and got very quiet.
“Your son has cancer,” said the doctor. Kelsey had no sooner walked into their son’s room on the ninth floor of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital then the doctor changed her life forever.
Rowen had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just one month shy of turning 3 years old. He needed a blood transfusion immediately, before surgery could even be done to place his port for treatment, and neither of his parents were a match. Had a blood donor not been on standby, Rowen wouldn’t be here today.
Luckily, Rowen did get his transfusion that day and was able to start treatment for his cancer the very next day. Kelsey was told at the time this was the fastest HDVCH had ever diagnosed and started treatment for this type of cancer. Rowen went on to receive over 12 blood transfusions and numerous plasma donations throughout his 2.5-year treatment plan, which ended successfully in January 2024.
While Rowen still has monthly checkups to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned, he is now in remission, thanks to his treatment plan and the generosity of blood donors. While neither of his parents were a match to donate directly to Rowen, they started donating blood soon after his diagnosis.
“I wanted to do that for someone else, to be that person. My son needed blood desperately in a time of need, and I could help someone else that needs it,” Kelsey said.
Kelsey encourages anyone who is able to donate blood themselves to do so.
“If you have the opportunity to be that person for someone else, please do it,” Kelsey said.
You can find a complete list of dates, times, and locations to give blood at one of the community blood drives here.
The donation process usually takes one hour, including registration, a brief medical screening, and blood collection. Donors must show a photo ID, such as a driver’s license.
For more information on blood donation, or to schedule an appointment, visit donate.michigan.versiti.org.