‘It saves lives;’ SLMPD officer who miraculously survived shooting urges public to donate blood
By Alexis Zotos
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — Officer Colin Ledbetter, 26, never imagined he’d be walking on to the field of Busch Stadium, let alone throwing out the first pitch. But the fact that the St. Louis Metropolitan Police officer is able to walk at all is a testament to his will to live.
In January, Officer Ledbetter and his partner Nathan Spiess were shot in the line of duty in Ferguson. Officer Ledbetter’s injuries were significant.
“He had a gunshot wound through a major vessel and basically bled his volume out. He was not alive when he came to us,” said Dr. Douglas Schuerer, the trauma surgeon at Barnes Jewish Hospital who helped save Ledbetter’s life.
On Monday night, Ledbetter threw out the first pitch to help kick off the St. Louis Cardinals’ 19th Annual Red Cross Blood Drive.
At the hospital, he received 39 units of blood, that’s about three times as much that’s in the human body.
Each donation can help save a life.
“It saved mine, it can save others,” said Ledbetter.
The drive will run Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The goal is to collect more than 1,700 donations across 22 locations. Red Cross said donors of all blood types are needed but those with types O, A negative, and B negative are strongly encouraged to make a donation this year.
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