Patterson blood donor wins ‘dream vacation’

A Patterson woman is going on her dream vacation to Alaska next summer after she was picked from thousands of people who donated blood in several states this summer.

Kathleen Louviere of Patterson won a dream vacation of her choice after she was chosen from about 30,000 people who donated blood in the summer through United Blood Services.

Each summer, all donors who give blood in June, July and August through United Blood Services are entered to win a dream vacation.

Donors from south Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and parts of Alabama and Arkansas were eligible to win the vacation. United Blood Services covers up to $6,000 worth of transit and lodging for the trip.

Louviere, 67, a retired secretary who worked for 30 years at Patterson Junior High, said she had never won anything in her life.

Louviere learned about a month ago that she had won the vacation and was formally awarded the prize Thursday at United Blood Services’ Morgan City location.

She plans to go on a seven-day, Alaskan cruise with her husband and daughter in the summer of 2018.

“First cruise I’ve ever been on. So excited. And it’s all thanks to United Blood Services,” Louviere said.

“It’s still hard to believe. I don’t think I’ll believe it until I step on the boat, and we take off for Alaska,” she said.

She came to give blood in the summer “as a good deed,” and donated twice during the summer. Louviere donates whole blood at United Blood Services in Morgan City about as often as she can, which is once every two months.

“I feel very strongly that everybody should. If you can give blood, do so,” Louviere said. “It’s wonderful. You can save a life. And that’s just amazing to me."

Organizers started awarding the dream vacation because of the need for blood during the summer, said Mitzi Breaux, marketing and communications manager for United Blood Services in Lafayette.

Because of summer vacation and other factors, blood donations always decline in the summer, but there’s also an increase in blood usage during that time, Breaux said.

“There’s an imbalance there,” Breaux said.

“This year was extremely unique. Unfortunately, we saw a lot of tragedy in 2017. And, in those tragedies, it was the blood on the shelves that was donated a day or two or three or four ahead of time that saved lives,” Breaux said.

These tragedies highlighted the importance of people donating blood on a regular basis to have blood on hand, she said.

“Donating blood on a regular basis at least three times a year is the key to making sure that blood is always available for any tragedy that may happen,” Breaux said.

People can donate whole blood up to six times a year. United Blood Services is located at 1234 David Drive, Suite 102 in Morgan City. Its hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 8 a.m.-noon Friday.