‘It saves lives’: Marshall residents donate during annual MASH BASH Blood Drive
(L-R) Bill Martin of Quitman and Donna Russell from Carter BloodCare
shared by blood donations are important. (Lia Portillo/Marshall News Messenger)
Published 5:40am Monday, July 20, 2026
By Lia Portillo
The annual MASH BASH Blood Drive is a “friendly competition between Marshall and Carthage,” but the real winners are those who benefit from the donations. The drive was held this past week in Marshall at the convention center. The event began more that two decades ago as a way to boost blood supplies during the summer months. “MASH BASH has been going on here in Marshall for 24 years now,” said Ashli Dansby, minority owner and general manager for radio station KMHT. “It’s a great way to lift the blood supply in the summer, when traditionally blood supply dips a little bit, and our school students aren’t in school.”
Dansby and Donna Russell from Carter BloodCare said the students are the top donors of blood, so when school isn’t in session, blood supplies become critical. The event is hosted by Carter BloodCare, KMHT, the city of Marshall, the Greater Marshall Chamber of Commerce and Marshall Economic Development. Though Dansby said she can’t donate because of health reasons, she encourages other to do so.
I have Crohn’s Disease, and I am always anemic, and so I am not able to donate myself,” she said. “That said, I have had four life-saving blood transfusions in my life, and they truly were life-saving. It was a dire, dire situation. And so, I can’t donate, but I certainly advocate for it because I have been the recipient of those life-saving donations.” Marshall recorded 158 donations during the MASH BASH, which will impact the lives of 474 local patients, Russell said.
“Many people with they’d started donating sooner after they donate the first time because everyone always dreads the first donation, but then after they’ve done it, they find out that it’s not that bad really, especially in the comparison to what some of the people who are recipients of the blood are going through,” she said. “And if you try to put it in your mind that way, it really makes you see what you’re doing and how you’re saving three lives with every donation.”
Russell said donations during the summer are always low, but this year, Carter BloodCare is especially in need of O negative and O positive blood and platelets. “If you’ve ever thought about donating, now’s the time,” she said.
Saving lives
Bill Martin came to the MASH BASH at the Marshall Convention Center from Quitman. He said he started donating in 1980 and hasn’t stopped. Martin is the District 5830 assistant governor and a member of the Quitman Rotary Club, which holds five blood drives a year. He said he is trying to lead those same efforts through Rotary clubs across East Texas.
He said the MASH BASH is “fascinating” and challenged the community to hold similar event to boost donations. Martin said Quitman Rotary Club donation drives typically yield about 30 donations a day. “If you’re collecting that much blood, I’d encourage you to hold one, two, three other drives,” he said.
The blood donation process typically lasts 10 minutes but in 2021, Martin started to donate platelets, which takes longer because the blood is put through a machine that separated the platelets, blood and plasma.
He said he was inspired to begin donating platelets after a friend landed in the hospital four years ago in need of heart surgery. However, the surgery had to be delayed because of a lack of platelets. “Unfortunately, the platelets never showed.” Martin said. “He died in the hospital waiting for platelets. When that happened, I determined I was going to boost my platelet donations up to 24 a year.
“…Blood comes from one place only: it’s us,” he said. “So, any kind of operation that needs any kind of blood, whether it’s treating Sickle Cell anemia, you need a lot of blood for that and platelets. If you want to treat burn patients, they need platelets. Heart operations, they need a lot of blood, a lot of platelets. Organ transplants, a bunch of blood.”
About Carter BloodCare
All donations through Carter BloodCare stay in Texas.
“So, if you are getting blood or blood products, they are coming from Carter BloodCare,” Russell said. “And other blood companies may be setting up and hosting drives in the area but when you’re donating with them, they are not keeping those blood products in the area; they are taking them back to Louisiana or Arkansas and using them there, and they will never be brought back to Texas.
An additional challenge suppliers face is the varied shelf-life of blood products. Russell said the typical shelf-life is 42 days. “We do need donors quite frequently because of the expiration of blood,” she said.
Russell added that donations across the nation are down 25%. “We just really need people to setup up and help us to fill the shelves at hospitals because it’s the blood that is on the shelf before a tragedy strikes that saves lives,” she said. “It’s great when you donate after a tragedy, but that donation has to be processed before it can ever go to someone. So, it needs to be there before.”
Russell works in the Carter BloodCare’s recruitment department and had been attending MASH BASH in Marshall for years. She said what she loves the most about the event is the camaraderie.
“I love the fact that Marshall has always stepped up, and they have never let us down. Even through COVID, they stepped up and helped fill the shelves,” she said. “This event in East Texas is one of the biggest events over the summer, and without it, I really don’t know what we would do. It saves lives that otherwise might not be save.” Though MASH BASH is over, residents in Marshall and Carthage can still donate by going to carterbloodcare.org and going to the “find a location” tab.
About Lia Portillo
Lia Portillo is a Report for America corps member covering the Hispanic community in the area and more. She graduated from Northwestern State University of Louisiana where she hosted a student podcast called “Latino Living” and led the student newspaper. She’s excited to tell the stories of Harrison County.