Ivy's Journey: From disaster survivor to Red Cross phlebotomist

By Jennifer Costa, Red Cross regional communications director

“I’ve always been fascinated by blood.”

Ivy Grey Robinson turned that fascination into a career when she became a phlebotomist with the American Red Cross in Maine. For her, the work is personal. When Ivy's sister was young, she fell through a glass coffee table and suffered a severe injury.

Ivy Grey Robinson

“She needed about four pints of blood after cutting open her leg. We were glad to have it and you never know where it comes from," Ivy said.

Now Ivy is on the frontlines working to help save more lives ... one blood donor at a time.  

"It's my dream job," she said. 

But it was disaster that truly drew Ivy to the Red Cross. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo grew into a monstrous Category 4 storm that made landfall near Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. It was the most devastating hurricane to hit the state in the 20th century - and Ivy, a South Carolina native, lived through it.

"I was in Hugo. I had my infant son and we were stuck," she remembered. "I was in tears because I had to evacuate, and I didn’t know how I was going to do it myself."

She got them into the car, but encountered wall-to-wall traffic. A drive that should have taken four hours, took eight. Ivy and her baby were exhausted.

"Then someone came from the American Red Cross. She held my baby and she took care of him for a minute so I could take a breath. To have someone there, on my side, who understood what I was going through was amazing.”

Ivy has never forgotten that moment - and how that Red Crosser made her feel. 

"Being from the Carolinas, we’ve had hurricanes, floods, tornadoes. We have all those disasters – and the American Red Cross has always been a staple to us. It’s always been a help, someone to run to.”

Now Ivy aspires to provide that same comfort to blood donors, who are rolling up their sleeves, giving a bit of themselves so others can live.

"It’s a gift that you can give a part of you," she said. "There are people who come in so nervous. If I can just make a joke, get them to smile, get them out of their head for a little while, they get through it and it’s amazing.”

This #RedCrossMonth we celebrate all the Red Crossers who provide care and comfort in their communities as well as blood donors who selflessly give to help strangers in need ❤️.

To learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, visit redcross.org/VolunteerNNE.