The family of Ethan Miller Song is hoping to turn a tragic death into the gift of life by sponsoring a blood drive on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

“When Mike and I arrived at the hospital and found out Ethan died, we wanted to donate his organs,” said Kristen Miller Song. “I would have loved for his death to save others. We didn’t have that option, sadly.”

The inaugural Ethan Miller Song Foundation blood drive will mark the five-year anniversary of its namesake’s tragic death. Ethan was killed by an unsecured handgun on Jan. 31, 2018.

“My son, Ethan, got his braces off in the morning. He was so happy and wanted to go out to breakfast to celebrate. Over breakfast, Ethan shared with me his hopes and dreams: he wanted to go to Rice University, join the Army, marry, and have seven children! We returned home, and Ethan walked to his best friend’s house,” Miller Song recalled. “An hour later, I saw two police officers walking across my front lawn, and my heart sank. My son was killed with an unsecured gun that was left along with ammunition in a shoebox. My son, Ethan, had just turned 15 years old on Jan. 19.”

Miller Song said she thought about hosting a blood drive last January, but the timing wasn’t right. She noted that with the national blood supply low, the Jan. 31 drive could help save lives.

“The blood supply in our country is critically low. People assume when they arrive at the hospital there is an endless supply of blood — there is not. Giving blood equals saving lives. Without a blood supply, many people would die,” Miller Song said. “I have always said after Ethan died, if I can save one child, one person, then Ethan did not die in vain,” said Miller Song.

The inaugural memorial blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at East Creek Landing, 390 South Union St., Guilford. For an appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org and enter the code Ethan to donate blood in memory of Ethan Song.