Since he was born as a tiny premie, Maverick Painter has been living up to his name. Against all odds, Maverick was the only one of triplets to survive a premature birth on September 3, 2018. He was born after just 25 weeks at Christiana Hospital and weighed approximately 1 pound. He was placed in the NICU immediately before being transferred to Nemours Children’s Hospital of Delaware for the bulk of his treatment. Part of that treatment included intestinal surgeries and 8 units of lifesaving and O-negative red blood cells.
The experience turned Maverick’s parents, Shane Simmons and Jason Painter, into fierce advocates for blood donation. “Without selfless donors, we would not have our son with us today,” Shane said. “It’s something so small that makes such a huge difference in someone’s life. He’s doing really, really well. It’s made all the difference in our life.”
Shane’s family and friends have been giving back ever since. This past September marked the fourth annual ‘In Honor of Maverick’ Blood Drive bringing in 72 lifesaving units.