ALSIP, IL—To Terri and Sonny Esch, their son, Jimmy, was the strongest guy they knew. Jimmy, who faced a lifetime of medical challenges, died of renal failure in 2019. He was 27.
Supported by the Community Blood Center, the Jimmy Esch Blood Drive will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursday, June 25. The blood drive will be held at Worth Township Center, 11601 S. Pulaski Road (116th Street and Pulaski Road), Alsip.
Jimmy grew up in Alsip, where he lived with his parents and three siblings. He waited six years for a kidney transplant at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. During that time, he received numerous blood transfusions. While the surgery went great, Jimmy contracted an adenovirus common in organ transplant patients. He died of adenovirus complications from his kidney transplant.
His family is paying it forward by holding a blood drive to help give the gift of life and hope and to spread kindness through the community in their son’s memory.