We've been following Cash Herman's story since he was born. And almost four years later, he's on the cover of a brochure for the Oklahoma Blood Institute. Without blood donations, Cash wouldn't be here.
One of the youngest to saddle up at the Right Path riding stables in Creek County is a little boy named Cash. He turns four in just a few weeks.
10 rides ago... Cash couldn't even sit up on a horse. He couldn't hold on.
"I always call it the miracle of the horse... the horse provides the motion, and Cash has to do a lot of work," said Riding Instructor Leslie Kirkland.
Cash is balancing, and by doing so, he's strengthening his core muscles.
"He has made so much gain in such a short time," Kirkland said.
"He gets a sweet smile on his face, and you know he's eating it up," said Cash's mom Katy Herman.
Katy knows this isn't easy for Cash. He has a rare metabolic disorder called OTC. It's so rare - only one in 500,000 people have it.
As a newborn, Cash needed dialysis and then a liver transplant at two months old.
It took 55 units of blood to save his life.
Katy hopes his story will encourage people to donate blood. Donors she didn't know saved her son's life.
"Yeah, 55 strangers," Katy said.
And that means so much.
"Everything. I wouldn't be me without him," she said.
Between riding his horse and his love for country music...
"Pretty girl singers are his favorite," Katy said.
Katy knows Cash is happy, living his life.
"The smile on his face is priceless, priceless," she said.
And he's getting better every minute.
"Oh yeah. Everyday... everyday," Katy said.
The Riding Path is funded by donations. It helps kids with all kinds of disabilities.
For more information, go to www.rightpathridingacademy.org
The Oklahoma Blood Institute's next blood drive is Friday, July 2 from 5-9 pm outside of the Tulsa Drillers' game.
FOX23 will also host a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Tuesday July 6 from 7:30am to 6:30pm at the Red Cross at 11th street and Highway 169.
Donors get two tickets to the game on the Fourth of July.
