Cora Tafelski, 8, lives near Titusville, Pennsylvania and just started the third grade. She is a big sister to her two siblings, and she loves to play outside, make arts and crafts and read before bed. But in 2020, her and her family’s lives were turned upside down when Cora was diagnosed with leukemia.

“We were at a birthday party, and she went down a slide and she screamed when she got to the bottom that something hurt her back,” said Greta Tafelski, Cora’s mom.

They went to the emergency room, where doctors warned Greta that Cora’s bloodwork seemed suspicious. A few days later, Cora was officially diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer.

In her first week of treatment, Cora received a blood transfusion. Her mother said watching the blood take effect was “mind-blowing.”

“After she got it, you could just see the difference,” Greta said. “Not only in the color of her skin, but it made her feel better. You could tell she got what she needed to feel back to normal – as normal as she could feel while being sick.”

Cora received four blood transfusions during her treatment. Greta said Cora showed incredible strength while enduring more than two years of chemotherapy.

“She always had the nurses laughing,” Greta said. “She kept them on their toes!”

Cora’s last chemotherapy treatment was in October 2022. She has been cancer-free since that time.

Help ensure people like Cora have the blood donations they need. Lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation. Schedule an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).