The fifth annual “A Pint for Kim” blood drive, in honor of the late Kimberly Stanford, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11 at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St. (Photo courtesy of A Pint for Kim)

Before Naperville resident Kimberly Sanford lost her long battle with an extremely rare form of cancer in 2020, she was mainly concerned with helping others rather than worrying about her own fate.  

After Sanford and family members learned that cancer patients are the primary beneficiaries of blood donations, one of her last wishes was to forgo a wake or funeral and hold a blood drive instead. Sanford, who was diagnosed with a one-in-a-million combination of two different types of cancer at age 41, in 2012, required dozens of blood and platelet transfusions while suffering from chemotherapy-based anemia in her final months. Without blood transfusions, such patients would be unable to continue their battles with cancer, considering that chemo-based treatments often induce severe anemia.  

Honoring Sanford’s wishes, her family — including husband Robert, sons Ricky and JD, and sisters Kristyn Jo Benedyk and Kathleen — initiated “A Pint for Kim,” and a movement was born. The first “A Pint for Kim” event was held at Iron Gate Condos, in Naperville, on March 8, 2020, five days after Sanford’s passing, and ended up setting the single-day, single-location record for the largest blood drive in Illinois, with roughly 500 donations and hundreds more in attendance.  

It has grown ever since, resulting in the collection of more than 600 pints of blood in 2023. The fifth annual “A Pint for Kim” blood drive will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11 at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill Street. Activities include a car show, live music, raffles, games, food trucks, a kids’ area and more.  

This year’s event, which includes a 50 percent increase in the number of donation beds, is expected to draw as many as 800 donors. “A Pint for Kim” co-founder Benedyk said the ultimate goal of the movement is to surpass the Guinness World Record of 2,500 pints, currently owned by the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.  

“By 2026, we want to bring that record to Chicago,” Benedyk said. “We have other events as well throughout the year. These drives are spaced out about eight weeks, so we encourage people to become regular donors and continue to help people. One donation can save hundreds of lives.” 

Sanford was hoping to attend the initial “A Pint for Kim” event, but doctors ran out of options to stop her anemia in time. Benedyk said that before Sanford passed, she suggested removing her name from the title of the blood drive because she wanted the focus to be on those who would benefit from the event.  

“She just had this trait that, effortlessly, she put other people first,” Benedyk said. “There were days she didn’t want to go for treatment, but she’d say there’s a reason for going. She actually asked doctors if they needed her body for research. Right to the end, she was still trying to figure out how she could be of service to others.”  

Benedyk also said her sister was adamant that family members remain committed to the cause and not dwell on her passing once she was gone.  

“She made us promise that we wouldn’t define our lives with sadness,” Benedyk said. “She wanted us to see how what she went through could help others. We have our sad moments, but we turn around and say we can save a couple thousand lives.” 

That includes Sanford’s sons, now blood donors themselves along with many other Naperville North students embracing the cause.   

“The high school and students have taken the event on as their own,” Benedyk said. “To see hundreds of 15- to 17-year-olds taking ownership of this is a sense of pride, and now it’s a part of their culture.”  

For more information, including how to sign up to donate blood, visit www.facebook.com/apintforkim or www.apintforkim.com.