Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson knows what it’s like to be a blood donor. In fact, he has donated whole blood, red cells, platelets and even most recently white cells through Hoxworth Blood Center over the past nine years. But in 2023 he got to see blood donation from the patient side when his daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Not only did this impact Matt and his family in a deep way, but it also encouraged him to help others going through a similar situation.
Like Father like Son
As a kid, Matt watched his dad donate blood and he had such a fear of needles that Matt fainted from that experience.
“I remember waking up and a nice lady was giving me cookies.”
Fast-forward to 2017 and Matt follows in his father’s footsteps showing his kids that you can do things that might be uncomfortable at first. He donated blood with Hoxworth and became a regular donor. (Also noting it wasn’t that bad!)
Because of his blood type (O+) it was suggested he donate double red cells. Faithfully Matt came to Hoxworth (usually the Anderson location) to donate every 16 weeks. After doing further testing on his blood, it was determined he would be ideal for platelets. Now visiting the Neighborhood Donor Center every two weeks, Matt was giving platelets to be used by local patients.
Everly’s Cancer Journey
In 2023, everything changed when cancer impacted his family. At the age of three, his daughter Everly was diagnosed with leukemia. She spent 40 days straight at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to undergo treatment. That treatment often included blood transfusions from Hoxworth donors like Matt.
“When you know that the transfusion will allow your kid to be able to get out of bed safely, or to go home or to continue with the next round of treatment, it means the world. It’s absolutely true that every donation saves a life.”
From August 2023 through January 2026, Everly was fighting cancer. Her family was by her side through it all. Their church even held a blood drive with Hoxworth to show support for Everly and other patients at local hospitals.
“Until you’re a cancer parent or you’ve been in that situation where you know how much hope it gives, you can’t quite understand the meaning. It’s life in the bag, it’s hope in the bag”
In January, Everly rang the bell to signal the end of cancer treatment and that she was declared cancer free!
Through this entire experience, Matt connected with other families in the hospital and found a common ground: they all wanted to do more to find a cure for cancer. Learning more about pediatric cancer and finding motivation to find a cure, Matt decided to turn his passion into a career. He now works for CancerFree KIDS, a local non-profit aimed at funding pediatric cancer research to find cures and treatments for children fighting cancer.
CancerFree KIDS hosts Night for the Fight each year bringing together 1000 local high school students to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Most recently they raised $300,000 at this event. It also featured Everly as a “champion.”
“For me that was a pivotal moment. It was the first proactive thing I felt we had done. It felt like raising money for pediatric research we weren’t just taking punches from cancer; we were punching back.”
Giving Back in a Different Way
Earlier this year, Matt was contacted by Hoxworth to make a different kind of donation; this time, white cells, or granulocytes, in the Apheresis Department. Those cells would ultimately help a patient at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Matt didn’t hesitate to agree to the more involved donation, which required more time, additional preparation, and two needle sticks (one in each arm). He’s come a long way from the child who once fainted while watching his dad donate blood. He says this was a full-circle moment for him.
Matt will return to being a regular platelet donor now that the white cell donation is complete.
He encourages you to take the first step and become a blood donor too. But if you aren’t motivated by Matt, maybe words from Everly will have more of an impact.
“She got stuck by so many needles in treatment. Everly would love for you to get stuck for kids like her and she would say ‘Suck it up Buttercup!’”
Did you Know?
Pediatric cancer patients use about 25% of the local blood supply. Blood cannot be manufactured, and there is no substitute at this time. That means blood donors are crucial in providing a lifeline to these patients in local hospitals. When you donate blood with Hoxworth, you help patients at more than 30 hospitals in the Cincinnati area. You can be the hope they need to see a brighter tomorrow.