American Red Cross Annual Report: Brian Boyle

"A blood donation can make the difference between life and death. I am living proof of this." - Brian Boyle, volunteer, blood recipient/donor

RACING TOWARD LIFE

July 6, 2004. One moment, 18-year-old Brian Boyle was driving home from swim practice. The next, he was in a hospital bed, unable to speak or move. A natural athlete, Brian was now using all his lessons learned from team sports to survive. “Sometimes you do everything right, and life still doesn’t follow the path you thought you’d be on,” he says.

A dump truck had broadsided his car, and he needed immediate surgery. His heart had been pushed from one side of his chest to the other. He was resuscitated eight times. The only physical hope for his survival was the gift of blood. Sixty percent of Brian’s blood was replaced through transfusions given by volunteer donors.

As he inched his way back to life, Brian wanted to reassure his parents. “I was their only child,” he says. “I wanted to give them a sign I hadn’t stopped fighting. What better way than to smile?” Then, gradually, he squeezed hands, wiggled his fingers, and blinked. “Once I was able to talk, I never wanted to be quiet again,” he laughs.

Two months later, when Brian entered rehab, he knew he wanted to make a difference. “I was alive! I wanted to take my experiences and help others. I started at the very foundation of my recovery—the blood donors, who were there from the get-go.”

He began by giving testimonials and speaking about blood donation, then by sponsoring 5K races for blood donation, still later by hosting blood drives. Now as a volunteer spokesperson for national blood campaigns, he wears the American Red Cross emblem proudly at all his athletic events.

“Blood is needed every day for emergencies like mine, as well as for those with chronic conditions. For nearly 5 million people every year, a blood donation can make the difference between life and death. I am living proof of this.”

Brian’s determination and athletic spirit led to a rapid recovery. He’d make a new goal every day. By December, he was walking and, soon after, started swimming. Several months later, he stepped onto his new college campus and swam his first stroke with his college team.

Now there was no holding Brian back. In 2007, Brian finished his first Ironman triathlon. “I had lost 100pounds and had only weeks to train for it,”he says. “My story of survival made me believe I could attempt these races. When I crossed the finish line, I knew I was fully healed.”

In 2009, Brian made his own first blood donation at the hospital that brought him back to life. Brian graduated from college with honors and is now a public speaker about the patient’s perspective when dealing with health issues. “My work with the Red Cross has made all the pain and suffering worthwhile,” he says. “I am blessed.”

Today, Brian blogs about racing and blood donation at redcrossblood.org/ironheart

And to watch the video that accompanies this article, please visit the American Red Cross Annual Report website.

2012 Boston Marathon

Near the start line of the Boston Marathon

As an endurance athlete, running in the Boston marathon is an experience I will always cherish, and as a blood recipient/donor/volunteer it meant so much to be able to run the race for the Red Cross.  Due to the heat, close to 90 degrees, it was repeatedly said that it was one of the most difficult races in the 116 years of the Boston marathon. From my training regime, I was hoping to run a personal best of around 3:20, but I couldn’t believe how much I started to sweat within the first mile so I knew from the beginning it was going to be a rough day.

Near the Newton Hills is where the energy was just completely zapped due to the heat, and it was the downhill section that affected me more than going up because the cramps set it in my legs. After Heartbreak Hill, I focused on just enjoying the race and getting to the finish line safely so I stopped and chatted with the Red Cross volunteers for about 15 minutes near mile 24 and just soaked in the experience of running Boston – it truly was an amazing day.

A few yards away from crossing the finish line

When I sat down after crossing the finish line (4:04) amongst the large crowds of people, a runner standing next to me fainted and I hurried to catch him and shield is head before hitting the ground. After 20 seconds or so, he started to regain consciousness when the medics rushed to him, so it took me by surprise that not only did I run the race for the Red Cross but I had to step in and put my volunteer cap on as well.

It was an honor to run on the Red Cross Team in the Boston Marathon and I’m so proud of all 21 members of the team. We were able to go above our fundraising goal and bring in over $80,000 for the Red Cross.

2012 Boston Marathon finisher's medal

The Boston marathon was a very challenging race, but I enjoyed every second of it. A marathon may be run alone, but in no way is it an individual effort. This race is for my blood donors, the Red Cross and for all the people who have been a part of my journey back to life. This finisher’s medal is a token of my appreciation for the gift you have given me, and I thank you all so much for believing in me and for all the encouragement and support over the years.

Event and Blood Drive at The Ohio State University

President of The Ohio State University, Dr. Gordon Gee, stopped by to show his support at the Iron Heart/Ohio State blood drive

IRONMAN ATHLETE TELLS TALES OF DEATH TO LIFE 

The Ohio State University Newspaper “The Lantern” 

By Caitlyn Wasmundt

“I don’t want to die.” 

That was Brian Boyle’s only thought when he woke from a coma and a priest read him his last rites. 

Boyle shared his experience of going from deathbed to Hawaiian Ironman in three years when he spoke at the Ohio Union Feb. 23 as collaboration between the Ohio Union Activities Board and the American Red Cross. 

In 2004, a car crash almost ended Boyle’s life at age 18, when a dump truck smashed into Boyle’s car. Not only did Boyle suffer broken bones and internal bleeding, but his heart shifted to the other side of his chest from the impact. Boyle said paramedics and doctors revived him eight times in two months to keep him alive. 

Boyle gave the audience a first-person account of what he experienced after waking up in the hospital and having no idea where he was or why he was there. 

“I awake to regular beeping sounds,” Boyle said. “I’m alone in a white room and looking straight up at the ceiling … I try to raise my arms, then legs, but I can’t move them. My head won’t budge either.” 

Moments after waking up, a dark shadowy figure walked into Boyle’s room. He said he feared it was death, but then realized it was a priest who began reading his last rites. 

As he read his story to the audience, Boyle had to stop for a moment. 

“I’m sorry, flashbacks,” he said. 

Katie Sattler, a fourth-year in nursing, said Boyle’s story touched her on a personal and professional level. 

“It was very inspirational, it gives me a different standpoint in nursing,” Sattler said. 

Two months after regaining consciousness, doctors moved Boyle to a therapy facility, Boyle told his audience. 

During his time in the Intensive Care Unit and rehab, Boyle said he lost hope and didn’t see a reason to live. But through faith and his parents’ love, he said he realized he needed to fight. 

Boyle wrote a book about his journey called “Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back From the Dead.” 

Three years after the accident, Boyle said he decided to compete in the Hawaii Ironman, an endurance triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. 

Boyle said his decision to compete was his way of telling those around him that he was finally OK. 

“Ironman sealed the deal on my recovery,” Boyle said. 

He finished the competition in 14 hours and 42 minutes, just three years after being told he might never walk again. 

“It was the breath of life all over again,” Boyle said about crossing the finish line. 

Doire Perot, a third-year in operations management and president of American Red Cross Club at OSU, said hearing Boyle’s story was an incredible opportunity for OSU students. 

“You can take a lot away from Brian’s story, even if you aren’t an athlete,” Perot said. 

After telling his audience his firsthand experience, he opened it up to a Q-and-A session. 

With the students from the Ohio Union Activities Board

Audience members asked him a wide range of questions, from his training regimen for his first Ironman to how he feels about driving after the accident. 

Since his first Ironman competition, Boyle has competed in about 30 other endurance competitions, he said. 

Boyle said he doesn’t remember the accident, but is still cautious when he’s on the road. 

“I don’t remember the accident, but the scars are there,” Boyle said of his lost memory. 

To read more, please visit the newspaper’s website.

My visit with the students at St. Mary’s Ryken High School

INSPIRATIONAL ATHLETE, AUTHOR DISCUSSES BOOK WITH RYKEN STUDENTS 

The County Times Newspaper

By Carrie Munn

St. Mary’s College of Maryland alum and Southern Maryland local legend Brian Boyle visited English students at St. Mary’s Ryken last Friday to talk about his inspirational, nonfiction book, “Iron Heart.” 

The work was assigned reading for several Ryken juniors and Boyle addressed their inquiries about his true-life account of overcoming injuries sustained in a 2004 severe automobile accident and going on to complete the grueling Ironman competition. 

Athlete and author Brian Boyle answers a variety of student questions during his visit to St. Mary’s Ryken.

At 18, Boyle, of Welcome, in Charles County, was an honor student and all-star athlete at McDonough High School when his life was placed in peril after his Camaro was struck by a dump truck. In 2007, Boyle, who technically died multiple times during surgeries and was told he may never walk again, made headlines when he crossed the finish line after the intense 2.4-swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile full marathon in Kona, Hawaii. 

From coma to Kona, “Iron Heart” is his personal and inspirational tale and one that Ryken English teacher Misty Frantz said her students connect with. 

“Every day I inspire my students to accomplish their goals and make the world a better place,” Frantz said, adding the choices she makes in literature have to support the ‘quitting is not a option’ philosophy she lives and teaches by. “Brian’s story fits right in with that philosophy,” she told The County Times. 

She explained “Iron Heart” is an inspirational yet relatable tale for her students and that the experience of meeting Boyle makes the book come to life for them. 

Students asked Boyle questions ranging from the serious; “Did you ever want to just give up?” and “Did you ever question your faith?” to the superficial; “Do you have a girlfriend?” and “How much can you bench?” 

Boyle answered them all candidly and with a sense of humor. As one session wrapped up, he told the high schoolers, “I’m nothing different, I just have a crazy story to share.” 

Boyle said the book was borne from his personal journaling during the lengthy recovery process, explaining it took time to determine which memories were a reality and which were not. Boyle said he was determined to get out of the hospital bed he’d spent weeks in, not just for his sake, but for his parents’. “I just had to pull through for them,” he said. 

He said as crazy as it sounds, it took something as intense as finishing the Ironman for him to feel his recovery was complete. “Every week, every day was and is a gift,” Boyle said, adding that in the years since his miraculous recovery he has sought out the medical workers who saved his life and thanked them, has become an American Red Cross advocate and public speaker, as well as pushing the athletic envelope for himself. He continues to train extensively and competes in many endurance events with sponsorships. 

Boyle said he is working on getting back to Kona, to disprove the naysayers who claimed he only got the chance to compete because of the media attention and his amazing story. He said in the future two goals are to qualify straight-up for the Ironman and The Boston Marathon. 

The athlete shared that his outlook on life is forever changed, saying he wakes up happy to be able to move his toes each morning and has an enhanced level of determination and appreciation in life. 

When a student asked the author, “Would you go back and change it if you could?”, Boyle responded that as tough as it was, he wouldn’t take it back for the platform his experience has given him to help others. 

He said his thoughts went from ‘Why did He let this happen to me?’ to ‘Why has He saved me?’ From there, his spirit of determination carried him through a remarkable recovery and he now serves as inspiration for other athletes and trauma patients facing a seemingly insurmountable return to normalcy. 

As for his book, “Iron Heart” is written in a simplistic, first-hand narrative and Boyle said his hope in publishing the work is that it ends up in the hands of someone in a similar situation and gives them the hope to push through it. 

“My students continually tell me that this is the one book they enjoyed reading,” Frantz said, adding that Brian is real and by him taking the time to come meet with the students, “…my students see you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.” 

Many excited students requested photos with the athlete and author following their open dialogue about the reading. 

Boyle’s book is available through Amazon.com and all major retailers. More information can be found by visiting http://www.iron-heart.org/.

Local American Red Cross Announces Emergency Blood Appeal: Blood and Platelet Donations Needed Now

Baltimore, MD, January 9, 2012 – In the weeks leading up to and immediately following the winter holiday season, the American Red Cross, Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region has seen a significant decline in donor turnout at local blood drives and donor centers. This reduction in collections has put several blood types at critical or emergency levels. These low supply levels make it difficult for the region to prepare for potential emergency situations. 

“We are nearing a potential crisis for patients at the more than 50 hospitals we serve, including several level one trauma centers” stated Gary J. Ouellette, CEO. “Low donor turnout around the holidays, as well as winter breaks at local high schools and colleges has lead to this drop in blood collections. As a direct result, blood inventories have continued to drop as patients’ needs increase. Without your help, patients are at risk for not receiving the transfusions they need.” 

Like the Emergency Room of a hospital, the American Red Cross must be prepared to respond to patient emergencies with blood products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Through the everyday support and generosity of blood and platelet donors, the Red Cross can be prepared to do this day-in and day-out, no matter when or where these blood products are needed. 

Each day, approximately 44,000 units of blood are needed for patients in the United States. In fact, approximately every two seconds, someone in this country needs blood. All eligible donors are encouraged to become an Everyday supporter of the Red Cross and their communities by giving blood or platelets this winter. 

How to Donate Blood

Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. Platelet donors can call 1-800-272-2123. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. 

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

Charlotte Observer Newspaper: Determination links generations of ‘Ironmen’

My grandfather and I at the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida

This is a newspaper article that was published in December 2011, and I wanted to post it in on my blog to celebrate the Air Force retirement of my grandfather, which took place on January 31, 2012

DETERMINATION LINKS GENERATIONS OF ‘IRONMEN’

Charlotte Observer, by Joe DePriest

Catawba County (North Carolina) native Joe Lineberger, 80, and his grandson, Brian Boyle, 25, are best friends. They hang out, talk a lot and enjoy the company. What’s more: they inspire each other. They’ve inspired me since I’ve gotten to know them over the past few weeks.

When Boyle told me about his grandfather’s recent “Spirit of Service” award from the U.S. Air Force, he didn’t mention his book about recovering from a near fatal auto accident as a teenager. “Iron Heart” by Brian Boyle with Bill Katovsky (founder of Triathlete magazine) was first published in 2009 and a paperback version came out on Nov. 15.

Lineberger brought up the subject of his grandson soon after we first talked. He asked if I knew about Boyle’s injuries, his comeback and completing a dream of finishing an Ironman Triathlon.

That’s how it went: grandfather and grandson putting the emphasis not on themselves, but the other. There’s an energy going on here – a sharing of strength. 

As a kid, Lineberger picked cotton on a Catawba County farm and later worked in his uncle’s grocery in downtown Maiden. Three uncles served in World War II and he was proud of them. At Maiden High, he played football, baseball and basketball – dreaming of going to Duke University. His family couldn’t afford the tuition so Lineberger joined Duke’s R.O.T.C. program and worked odd jobs like waiting tables in the university dining hall and selling football programs at games.

He was determined to succeed and earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke. Later, he’d get a master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago.

Action in Vietnam

Lineberger’s Air Force career began in 1953; he retired 28 years later as a colonel, but stayed on as a civilian employee. At 80, Lineberger still works full-time at Andrews Air Force Base and the Pentagon. He’s a Senior Executive Service member, the equivalent of a three-star general. 

The “Spirit of Service” award is for more than 50 years of service, including assignments with Air Force headquarters in Washington and the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Lineberger was military assistant to the assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Installations under five assistant secretaries. 

During the recent awards ceremony Michael Rhodes, director of administration and management in the office of the Secretary of Defense, talked about Lineberger and others who were being honored that day. ”….They’ve had a hand in creating the world we live in today,” he said. “For more than five decades, each of the tremendous public servants we’re celebrating today has ensured our military strength and readiness. They meant business and they got business done.” 

Lineberger has pulled his share of administrative duties. But he was also awarded the Bronze Star for taking part in ground action during the bloody 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. He was in Cholon, the Chinese section of Saigon, where some of the most intense fighting took place. 

The Vietnam War is a subject he knows first-hand. He’s researched Congressional Medal of Honor nominations for two Air Force heroes killed in Vietnam and shepherded the paperwork through the system: From the Joint Chiefs of Staff and defense department to Congress and the White House. ”I guided them through the hoops,” Lineberger said. “I know the hoops. I’ve been through them before.”

One of those Medal of Honor winners, Airman Bill Pitsenbarger, is the subject of a movie that will be filmed next year, partly in the Carolinas and Georgia. Lineberger is one of the consultants on “The Last Full Measure” with an all-star cast that includes Bruce Willis, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Morgan Freeman and Charlie Hunnam. 

Lineberger has many relatives and friends in North Carolina and wishes he could get back more often to see them. Maybe the movie will give him the chance. 

Meanwhile, he’s still working with the Air Force because “it keeps the mind fresh,” Lineberger told me.

His wife, Mary Helen, died seven years ago. They had five children. Boyle is the oldest of nine grandchildren. 

Although Lineberger keeps in shape by walking, he doesn’t do the grueling Ironman Triathlons and marathons Boyle takes on. But Lineberger is often at the finish line to offer encouragement.  The fact his grandson is out doing all that physically challenging stuff is nothing short of a miracle. 

Learning to walk

Boyle, who lives in Welcome, Md., was 18 when he headed home from swim practice one day and a dump truck rammed into his Camaro. Air-lifted to a shock-trauma hospital, he’d lost 60 percent of his blood, his heart had moved across his chest, and his organs and pelvis were pulverized.  In a coma for two months, he eventually came to and relearned how to walk, run and swim. 

He’s won all sorts of competitions, graduated cum laude from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and in 2010 was awarded the American Red Cross Regional Spokesperson of the Year award for the second year in a row. 

Boyle has been featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” NBC’s “Today” show, ESPN, and in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Fitness magazine, Runner’s World – the list goes on and on. You can get all the details in “Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back From the Dead.” 

Boyle survived because of his ironclad determination. He got that from his grandfather – somebody Boyle said “I want to and will try to emulate the rest of my life.” 

A “model of determination,” Boyle called him. “And most of all, a hero.” 

I’d call both of them “ironmen.”

To read more, please visit here.

Success Magazine: An Athlete’s Iron Heart

Success Magazine, January 2012

IRON HEART, January 2012

A car wreck nearly ended his life, but Brian Boyle wasn’t going to let that stop him from achieving his goals.

By James  Mayfield 

Depending on the day of the week, Brian Boyle’s schedule goes something like this: Wake up at 6 a.m., have a quick breakfast, hit the pool for a two-hour swim followed by a 20-mile run and maybe a four-hour bike ride. 

Such is the life of a person preparing for one of the most challenging sporting events on the planet—the Ironman triathlon. 

With a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile full marathon, the Ironman competition represents the survival of the fittest. The training regimen alone is something the 25-year-old from Welcome, Md., is lucky to be able to maintain—considering that just a few years ago, doctors told him he might never walk again. And during surgeries, he technically died eight times. 

In 2004, Boyle was 18 and at the top of his game, graduating from high school and looking forward to college. A competitive swimmer, his best events were the sprint-based 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly. On July 6, as Boyle headed home from swim practice, a dump truck broadsided his Chevy Camaro as he crossed an intersection. 

Pulled from the gnarled wreckage, Boyle had suffered extensive trauma, with lacerated liver, collapsed lungs, nonfunctioning kidneys and heart pushed to one side, among other injuries. “I had 60 percent blood loss and pretty much every major organ was damaged,” he says. At Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Md., doctors placed Boyle in a chemically induced coma and performed a total of 14 operations, requiring 36 blood transfusions. During all this, his heart stopped eight times. 

After months in the hospital, Boyle finally regained consciousness, but his road to recovery was just beginning. Because his pelvis had been crushed, doctors were doubtful he would ever walk again. 

One thing that kept him motivated was his family. “My parents and I have always been best friends and that was the great thing about having that support system in the hospital. I just kept thinking, this may be bad now, but I’m thinking about my parents, and it’s a thousand times worse for them. So what I have to do is push aside all this negativity and put on a smile for my parents, because they are going through enough already.” 

The accident not only put a hold on his athletic aspirations, but also his goals overall, and Boyle was very serious about his goals. “When I graduated from high school, the three short-term, realistic goals I had were to go to college, be on the swim team and one day attempt an Ironman,” he says. “But the accident put everything on standby. I really didn’t know if it was ever going to be possible to achieve those dreams.” 

Despite everything, Boyle was not despondent. The very process of having set those goals, maintaining the discipline to work toward incremental benchmarks, and knowing the immense rewards of attaining them gave Boyle an advantage during his recovery. He knew he had to set new goals and a new plan to attack them—as well as a new timetable that would test him in a new way. “I had to just push forward every day and take it one step at a time, very slowly.” 

After two months in the intensive care unit and a week in a rehab center, Boyle went home and continued outpatient therapy. Meantime, his support system grew stronger. “Team Boyle,” comprising Brian and his mom and dad, had matching shirts made and developed a website where friends and well-wishers could cheer him on toward a full recovery and his goal of competing in an Ironman World Championship. 

On Oct. 13, 2007, three years after he was told he wouldn’t walk, Boyle completed the Ironman in Hawaii—in 14 hours, 42 minutes and 25 seconds. “It was the greatest day of my life; it was awesome,” he says. “That was the step back into life, the breath of life all over again. When I crossed the finish line in Hawaii, I was showing everyone, including myself, that I wasn’t sick anymore. I wasn’t Brian the boy in the wheelchair, I was Brian the Ironman.” 

Boyle recounts his remarkable journey in his 2009 memoir Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead. It was a book that began when he was released from the hospital, although he didn’t know it at the time. “When I left the hospital, my nurses told me I was going to go through physical therapy, but I also needed to focus on the emotional therapy, too,” he says. “And they told me to keep a journal of the progress so I could visually see the improvement on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. That’s really pretty much how the book was started.” And the title Iron Heart? “The title came from the fact that the main concern in the hospital was my heart. It sustained the most damage of all the organs, and the most operations were done on my heart, from what I was told.” 

Today, Brian Boyle’s Iron Heart story continues to inspire others and exemplify the importance of setting goals. He went to school for graphic design and upon graduating cum laude from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2010, ran his first 50-mile ultramarathon, completed his third Ironman in 10:14, and also made his first blood donation to the hospital that brought him back to life. 

In 2011, Boyle launched the Red Cross Iron Heart Campaign to help raise blood donation awareness on a national level for the organization he credits with helping save his life—the American Red Cross. “When I was going through physical therapy in Baltimore, I remember being in this wheelchair and looking around at the other patients and thinking to myself, ‘I may actually leave here one day and make a full recovery,’ ” he recalls. “I felt lucky at that time because a lot of the patients there may never walk again, they may never leave that unit. I promised myself right then and there that if I ever left that rehab center, I would do everything I possibly could to take my experiences and my background and use them in a positive way to help in as many forms as possible. And what better way to start than with the foundation of my recovery, the Red Cross?” 

As for Boyle’s next goal? Getting back to the World Championship Ironman in Hawaii, of course. “It was great that I finished the one in 2007, but now I have to try and earn my way back by qualifying like everybody else. When I crossed the finish line in Kona I made a promise to myself that one day I would get back there on my own… and not on my story,” he says, referring to exceptions to the rigorous qualifying requirements made for him because of his extraordinary circumstances. “The endurance races like the Ironman triathlons and marathons have personally become much more than challenging athletic events, they have become a lifestyle. What started out as a way to complete my recovery has now become a way to show my appreciation to the people who have been a part of my journey back to life. 

“Crossing the finish line at any event is my way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years—my parents, family, friends, coach, doctors, surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, rescue workers, blood donors, and the list goes on and on. Just to even make it to the starting line at these races is a gift, but to finish is so meaningful. When my heart is beating fast and the adrenaline and blood are pumping rapidly out on the course, this once was a sign that I was dying, but now they are a sign that I’m living.”

To see full article click here,

Brian’s Red Cross National PSA can be viewed here.

 

2011 American Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence

The prestigious Annual American Red Cross National Award Ceremony recognizes outstanding employee and volunteer performance, honoring those who have inspired all members of the Red Cross family to dig deeply to help those in need. The American Red Cross consists of over 1.3 million volunteers across the country, and within this organization where people typically give extraordinary effort, the Presidential Award for Excellence spotlights the best of the best. 

Presidential Award for Excellence in Biomedical Services 

American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington D.C.

Brian Boyle – Volunteer Spokesperson 

Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region Baltimore, Maryland 

Brian Boyle lost 60 percent of his blood on the scene when a truck plowed into the side of his car.  Now, in addition to competing in triathlons and marathons, Brian shares his personal story to recruit blood donors and encourage financial donations. 

Brian collaborated with Sky Horse Publishing and the American Red Cross to create a limited edition of his autobiography “Iron Heart”, including a special message to blood donors.  He personally hosted a series of 18 blood drives throughout the greater Washington D.C. area, with more than 1,100 participants and provide them with a signed copy of his book.  He also made his very first blood donation at the hospital that brought him back to life, Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, MD. 

As a world-class Ironman triathlete, Brian wears the Red Cross logo on his gear.  His participation in events often attracts significant news and media coverage where Brian also shows his support of the Red Cross. 

Brian collaborated with the rock band 311, Sony Music Entertainment, and audio and video producers to encourage others to donate blood through internet, radio and television public service announcements.  The PSAs were created at no cost have reached audiences throughout the country.  The PSAs were designed to specifically appear to younger and diverse audiences. 

As a public speaker in collaboration with the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute, Brian regularly visits audiences at medical conferences, schools and other events and always includes his advocacy of the Red Cross when sharing his message to potential supporters.

Brian’s journey of courage and determination has touched the hearts of many, and his story and the message it carries have been celebrated around the world.  We thank Brian for including the American Red Cross in that message.

Presidential Award for Excellence

 

A short video of Brian’s story and his volunteer work with the American Red Cross.

Running With Troy at the American Red Cross Red Run 5K

Brian and Troy before the Red Cross Red Run 5K in Frederick, MD

FIRST FOR SOME AT THE RED CROSS 5K IN FREDERICK, MARYLAND

American Red Cross, 11/8/11

This past weekend, two local blood recipients competed together, representing the Red Cross GC&P Region in the Red Run 5K in Frederick, MD, to help encourage people to support the Red Cross and donate blood.

Two young men, with different backgrounds and different challenges in life. Both were told at one point in their lives that they would never walk or talk. Both have spent months in various hospitals, rehab centers and have underwent physical, occupational and speech therapies. Blood donations helped to save one’s life, and give the other a chance to have one.

Brian Boyle is quickly becoming well known across the country for his inspirational comeback story against all odds, after he recovered from a violent car crash that almost took his life. This 25-year old lost 60% of his blood at the scene of his accident and received 36 Red Cross blood transfusions. He triumphed to not only fully recover but also conquer his biggest goal in life – the ‘Kona’ Ironman Triathlon World Championship. He has since devoted his life to raising awareness for blood donations and encouraging others to donate.

Troy Baisey is a 17-year old high school student with Cerebral Palsy and many disabilities. As a severely premature infant, he received Red Cross blood and platelet transfusions in his first month of life during many heart and other surgeries. He spent most of his younger years in hospitals, with leg braces and wheelchairs but now competes in the Special Olympics. He volunteers to help with his school and church blood drives and tells everyone he meets that they should donate blood to help other people. Until today, he had never run, jogged or walked a distance further than 40 meters. Inspired by his favorite hero and fellow blood recipient, Brian Boyle, he challenged himself to run a 5K race.

Brian and Troy running to the finish line.

You may run for a medal or to place, but for Troy Baisey the last steps through the 5K finish line with Brian meant so much more.

Everyone has their ‘Kona’.

Please enjoy this short WHAG news segment of Brian Boyle and Troy Baisey.

2011 Annual Awards Ceremony for Red Cross Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region – Dr. Charles Drew Award

Dr. Charles Drew

When the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, the U.S. military asked the American Red Cross to create and operate a national blood program to support the troops. Dr. Charles Drew, a hematologist, surgeon, educator and scientist, turned his skills to the development of dried plasma. He supervised the pilot Red Cross blood banking program which was established in 1941. His groundbreaking research made it possible to store plasma for later use, revolutionizing modern medicine. Americans donated millions of pints of blood for the war effort and his innovation enabled those donations to save the lives of countless casualties of war

Mankind suffered a great loss in 1950 when, at the age of 45, Dr. Drew was killed in an automobile accident while driving to a scientific conference. His pioneering medical work has endured. How many lives have been saved because of his genius at turning basic biological research into practical production methods is impossible to determine.

Over the years, Drew has been considered one of the most honored and respected figures in the medical field and his development of the blood plasma bank has given a second chance of life to millions.

The Charles R. Drew Award is designed to preserve the memory of Dr. Drew’s contributions to the American Red Cross Blood Services. The award is presented to a volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to strengthening and improving blood services.

The 2011 Charles R. Drew Award recipient is Red Cross volunteer Brian Boyle.

Brian Boyle is a Red Cross blood recipient, donor and volunteer. He is currently 25 years old and lives in Southern Maryland. Since 2007, Brian Boyle has devoted his life’s activities to supporting the American Red Cross and its mission to help others. Brian’s support encourages thousands of Red Cross blood donations locally and nationally. Brian supports the Red Cross by speaking publicly, interviewing with news media, competing in athletic competitions, in a limited-edition of his autobiography, Iron Heart, and as a blood donor and advocate of blood donation.

In 2004, 18-year-old Brian Boyle’s future changed in an instant when a dump truck plowed into his vehicle. He was airlifted to a shock-trauma hospital. Brian had lost sixty percent of his blood, his heart had moved across his chest, and his organs and pelvis were pulverized. He received 36 Red Cross blood transfusions and plamsa treatments and underwent 14 operations. Because of the severe pain and injuries, Brian was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Brian defied all laws of medicine and logic and he clawed his way back to the living. First blinking his eyelids, then squeezing a hand, then smiling, he emerged from his locked-in state and was determined to recover. During the recovery, while bound to a wheelchair he made a commitment to himself: if he could ever walk and talk again, he would share his story in a positive way to help others. Eventually, Brian learned of the 36 units of donated Red Cross blood that he received and he was intrigued that they came from volunteer donors who gave part of themselves to help save his life.

After months of physical therapy and rehabilitation, Brian learned how to walk again and he learned how to run, and run very well. Against all predictions, Brian Boyle crossed the finish line at the 2007 Hawaii Ironman, the most grueling athletic competition in the world, just three years after leaving the Intensive Care Unit at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, MD.  That same year, Brian started volunteering as a public speaker in support of the Red Cross. He continues to share his personal message about how blood donors were a vital factor in his recovery and he asks others to donate blood with their local Red Cross.

In 2009, he published his first book, Iron Heart, a firsthand account of his journey back to life. Following its release, Brian worked with his publisher to then create a limited-edition including a Red Cross cover and Brian’s personal message to blood donors. Brian then hosted and attended a series of Iron Heart blood drives with more than 1,000 participants. Brian attended these blood drives to meet and thank each participant and provided them with a limited-edition and signed copy of his book, Iron Heart. He also made his very first blood donation at the hospital that brought him back to life.

His story of courage and determination continues to be shared around the world and Brian continues to compete. Brian has recently competed in more than 20 running, marathon, Ironman and triathlon events. During every race, Brian proudly wore the American Red Cross logo as a tribute to the blood donors that helped to save his life.

Brian’s message extends to audiences of all ages, races, religions and his story inspires people from all walks of life. His volunteer commitment to help others by sharing his story in a variety of ways is unsurpassed and Brian has undoubtedly touched the lives of many with his inspiring message.

Brian not only represents the Red Cross, Brian is the Red Cross.