NEW ORLEANS — In May of 2022, Joe Cooper was shot multiple times during a home invasion.
He was gunned down in the doorway of his Gentilly home by a man asking about a package that may have been delivered there. Cooper was struck in the abdomen and legs. As paramedics rushed Cooper to University Medical Center, they gave him one unit of blood.
“The ER doctor told us that one unit was what brought him into the ER alive," Leslie Cooper said.
Leslie Cooper immediately spread the word about the need for blood.
“We had raised more blood in that two and a half weeks than in the last two years. We were able to replenish the New Orleans metro area and provide assistance to the folks in San Antonio after the elementary school shooting, and my husband, Joe, is extremely proud of that," Cooper said.
On Sunday, dozens of people flooded Oak Street and rolled up their sleeves.
“It means so much. It means an awful lot. It’s been a struggle. Our life is so much different than it was, but it’s better because he’s here," Leslie Cooper said.
This is the second time the family has organized a block party and blood drive with the support of the community and local businesses. They call the event "Heroes Wear Tie Dye" because Joe is a local tie-dye artist.
According to The Blood Center's PR Manager, Paul Adams, more than 50 people donated blood at Sunday's event.
“In the last year, I’d say that we probably collected over 1,000 units specifically in Joe Cooper’s name. When you consider 1,000 units can be separated into three different components, that’s up to 3,000 people in our area that likely were helped because of the Coopers," Adams said.
Joe has a long road ahead of him. Leslie said that since the shooting, he's suffered strokes and received several forms of therapy. The couple was forced to sell their Gentilly home because it wasn't wheelchair friendly.
Despite it all, the family remains grateful and determined to pass the blessing of blood onto others.
“I’m so grateful he is here, he’s grateful he’s here to spend time with his grandchildren," Leslie said.
Leslie said there were three suspects in the case and only one has been arrested.
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