SAN ANTONIO – The Damaged Souls motorcycle club might seem like a tough and calloused crew, but on Saturday, the leather-wearing riders showed just how big their hearts are.
The group gathered to bring awareness to the critical shortage of blood after one of the members of the club needed several blood transfusions after an accident.
On April 15, Chris “Tank” Dykman was T-boned on the North Side of San Antonio on Toepperwein and Lookout roads. The accident left Chris with several leg fractures, a lacerated spleen and kidney and a severed artery in his foot.
His motorcycle family stepped up to help replenish blood supplies and on Saturday, organized a blood drive in his honor at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. The group served free barbecue brisket sandwiches to donors.
Roger Ruiz, a spokesman for the STBTC, said the blood drive for Dykman is a good reminder that people should donate blood not just when tragedy strikes, but all the time.
Ruiz said the STBTC was contacted by officials in Houston on Friday after several people were shot at a high school in the Houston area. Ruiz said while victims in Houston ended up not needing blood, one donation of blood can save three lives locally.