Blood is what helped save Lea Slawson's sons life. 6-year-old Ayden Jolly was born with heart problems.His mother said by the time he was a year old he already had three blood transfusions. He's also had two open heart surgeries and a stint in his aortic valve.

"When he got better an stuff we just wanted a way to give back," said Slawson.

Slawson knows the doctor visits will never stop. But because blood played a big role in saving Ayden's life she's made it her mission to help keep blood banks full, especially during the holidays.

"Everybody's busy during the holidays," said Steve Bart, with the Oklahoma Blood Institute. "Not everybody's thinking about giving blood."

Slawson said that's when Ayden needed blood the most.

"We didn't know if we were gonna have that Christmas or anything like that and so it was really important to us," she said. "And that's the last thing anybody needs, to lose somebody because there's not blood."

But today's blood drive wasn't just about saving one life.

The Ayden Jolly Blood Drive seeks to bring in more blood to make up for the normal dip in donations around Christmas. This year Slawson said they hope to see 15 to 20 donors.

If you weren't able to make it out Saturday, there are plenty of other blood drives in the area.

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