‘Lifeline’ film gets Orlando premiere
“Lifeline: The Untold Story of Saving the Pulse Survivors” is receiving an Orlando TV premiere. The documentary will air at 4 p.m. today on WRDQ-Channel 27.
The film explains that the Central Floridians who gave blood shortly before the Pulse nightclub attack in June 2016 helped save shooting victims’ lives.
The documentary from OneBlood blood bank salutes those donors as unsung heroes.
“Blood donation has to be done in advance,” said Susan Forbes, a OneBlood executive who directed the film. “People who donated before were saving the lives. They were overlooked. We have to tell this story. It’s a bit of a misunderstood entity what it takes to get that blood to people.”
Forbes described those blood donors as “the first, first responders.” Those donations had been processed — it takes two to three days to do that — and were ready for the emergency room.
“This documentary is a natural extension of our efforts to help spread awareness of the importance of keeping a ready blood supply,” said Paul Curran, general manager of WRDQ and WFTV-Channel 9. “We are very proud to be part of this documentary and bring these stories to our viewers.”
WFTV/WRDQ has had an annual blood drive at the station for more than 20 years in partnership with OneBlood and will do so again from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
“Lifeline” is narrated by former WKMG-Channel 6 anchor Lauren Rowe, who had worked with Forbes, a former news director, at the CBS affiliate.
The documentary tells the Pulse story through the lives of five survivors and explains that it took 60 blood donors to save their lives. The film also details how OneBlood was tested the morning of the shooting in getting units to Orlando Regional Medical Center through blocked streets. The blood bank learned that one of its workers, Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, was among the 49 killed.
The film unites three Pulse survivors with their actual blood donors, who are in tears. “I made a difference. I saved a life,” one says.
“Lifeline” received a standing ovation at its June 10 premiere at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Forbes said she wanted to get across the importance of a ready blood supply.
“It’s not about OneBlood. Every city and every state needs to take blood supply and donors seriously,” she said. “You don’t know when this can happen. Every day people are needing blood.”
OneBlood collected 28,500 units of blood in the week after the Pulse attack, and 85 percent of it had been distributed just few days later, Forbes said.
Forbes said those donors were heroes, too. Thirtythree percent of them were first-time donors, but 75 percent have not come back, she added.
“They were motivated by what they saw,” she said. “They need to come back. It can’t be a one-time event. We see what happens in the news every day. The blood supply is playing a role in bombings and shootings.”