Sophie Layne Bryant was a little miracle, a baby who brought together a church and a community in her scant 17 days of life. And although her life was short, she lives on through the willingness of others to give their own blood.

“Sophie brought a lot of people together in the church and in the community,” said Ray Luther, pastor of Springfield Friends Meeting. “The church has hosted the blood drive every year since then to help keep her memory alive.”

Sophie was born in 2004 with a form of congenital heart disease that required massive transfusions of blood and two open heart surgeries before she was six days old. Tragically, her tired heart gave out after only 17 days.

“The left side of her heart was severely underdeveloped,” said Debi Bryant, Sophie’s mother. “The doctors at Brenner Children’s Hospital put her on a heart-lung machine. She was on it for 11 days, and every four hours she received blood or a blood product.”

During that time, Bryant said, she and her husband Tom talked about how much blood Sophie was receiving.

“That machine ran off the gift of others, and after her death we decided we wanted to do something to support Sophie’s memory,” she explained.

The Bryants turned grief into activism — they started a blood drive in Sophie’s name to keep her memory alive. The blood drive is always held on Feb. 28, Sophie’s birthday. This year would have been Sophie’s sixth birthday.

The Bryants also collect books to donate to children in Brenner Children’s Hospital, where Sophie spent most of her short life.

Blood is desperately needed. The Red Cross is currently in urgent need of type O negative, the universal donor. Recent challenging weather has led to a severe drop in the number of units collected. Those who donate are eligible to enter for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card from the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross Carolinas Blood Services Region must have 1,600 people give blood and platelets each weekday to meet hospital demand in our communities. Blood can be safely donated every 56 days. Most healthy people age 17 and older (or 16 with parental consent), weighing at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood. A blood donor card or photo ID is required at check-in.

The blood drive will be held from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, at Springfield Friends Meeting. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Bryant at 431-4362 or 215-4236.

The meeting is at 555 E. Springfield Road in High Point.