A Kansas City Royals superfan who fought for his life last year thanked those who helped save him on Thursday.
"It is 28 people who did a simple act of donating blood that saved my life," Jimmy Faseler said.
Last March, two men shot Faseler in the middle of a burglary at his Independence home. They are in jail for the crime.
Previous story: Support pours for Kansas City Royals fan Jimmy Faseler who was shot in his home
Faseler made a speedy recovery.
He even tailgated a few weeks later on Opening Day. There his surgeon, Deirdre Hart, told him a sobering thought.
"She made a very real statement and said, 'There is more of others people's blood in your body than your own at this point and time,'" Faseler recalled.
According to Truman Medical Center, during surgery Faseler received:
- 13 units of red blood cells
- 2 units of platelets
- 11 units of plasma
- 2 units of cryo
For the one-year anniversary of the shooting, he thanked some of the blood donors like, Shawnta Ricketts.
"It was actually the first time I was actually scared, but they calmed me down and I got through it," Ricketts said.
Faseler said it's a small sacrifice of just one hour.
Downstairs from the celebration, husband and wife, Jan and Dennis Padberg were doing just that.
"It's a very worthwhile cause and it's a good thing to do for people," Jan Padberg said.
She told 41 Action News she has given 10 gallons of blood in the last decade at the Kansas City Community Blood Center.
Padberg tells new donors there's nothing to it.
"[It's a] minor needle prick which is only about a second and after that you don't feel anything at all."
On May 11, every Kansas City Community Blood Center Donor Center plans to hold a blood drive bearing Jimmy Faseler's name.
"The blood that you're donating is going to help someone else that you would call a neighbor," Faseler said.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
