WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) – The need for blood in Wichita Falls prompted one local high school student to do something about it.
Chaitanya Reddy, a junior at Rider High School, took it upon himself to organize his first-ever blood drive.

Reddy said this won’t be the last drive. It’s only the beginning.

Two months ago, at just sixteen years old, Chaitanya Reddy noticed a problem in the Wichita Falls medical supply.

“Because of recent winter, lake storms, and transportation issues, the Texas Blood Institute who we are hosting all this with, they released that they are down to a one-day supply of blood,”

Being the son of a doctor, Reddy also got a taste of just how much this affected the medical field.

“My dad is a hematologist so he deals a lot with blood, and so seeing him make calls from the house about blood transfusions and him expressing frustrations with how difficult blood is to get for his patients, that was one of the main contributing factors,” Reddy said.

That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“He came to one of my offices and spoke with my office staff and that’s how they came and did all the work and I just helped physically with a few things here and there,” Chaitanya’s father, Dr. Praveen Reddy said.

Reddy, a volunteer at the Hospice of Wichita Falls, said by volunteering has taught him the importance of giving back to the community in any way possible.

“What I’ve shown myself and what I’m truly capable of when I am able to build my social skills, able to communicate with people and reach out to people really well, I really think that’s important that we as teens contribute to the community who have given so much to us whether that be through our school district, like local events I think that it’s very crucial that we get involved also,” Reddy said.

Wichita Falls being a type one trauma center, Reddy believes that by having more blood supply will make our city more efficient and benefit anyone in need of blood.

“It’s our community, and all the blood will stay in our community so it’s really just like a whole community circle,” Reddy said.

Seeing a need and taking action to give back to the same community that has influenced him.