William Bradley Harris was a witty, happy, normal 4-year-old boy until April 2013, when he collapsed after a T-ball game.

"I work in the medical field, so I was going through all the things it might be in my head. Maybe he's dehydrated. Maybe it's low blood sugar," said his mom, Laura Harris of Ocean Springs. "He was very confused… didn't know who I was. He acted very strange for about five to 10 minutes.

"I thought maybe I'm just overthinking it. That night he was fine."

Jackson-area residents went about their Monday morning routines on Aug. 29, 2005, very few realized how their lives would be impacted by what had been unfolding on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Louisiana.

The National Weather Service had been issuing warnings about the size and strength of a hurricane named Katrina for days leading up to its eventual landfall, and evacuees from Pascagoula to New Orleans had begun appearing at temporary Red Cross shelters or camping out in parking lots around the capital city.

With the exception of those old enough to remember Hurricane Camille's rampage along the Mississippi coastline 36 years earlier, most Mississippians had never been confronted by a large-scale natural disaster. So when near-90 m.p.h. winds tore through Jackson, and shortages of fuel and the immediate loss of electricity kept many in the dark for more than a week, the need for dependable health-care services - for hurricane evacuees as well as local residents - was never more critical.

One constant throughout the chaos: the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Next week, the Medical Center family has the opportunity to show its giving spirit by participating in the quarterly blood drive. Not only will participants help their fellow Mississippians by donating blood, but they will receive an attractive "Forever Proud" T-shirt free of charge. To learn more about next week's drive, hit the Continue Reading link below.  

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff:

The Commission on Dental Accreditation taps UMMC dentistry professor for its vice chair post, while a UMMC pediatric rheumatologist is selected to attend an Association of American Medical Colleges seminar later this month.