Blood Brothers cast and crew donate for Kirsty

BRUCE MERCER/Waikato Times

BLOOD BUDDIES: Hamilton Operatic Society member Fiona Artis donates blood at the Waikato Blood Donor Centre in a gesture of thanks and support for Kirsty Otto.

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Hamilton Operatic members have given blood as a gesture of thanks to Waikato people for their support of Kirsty Otto.

Cast and crew of the upcoming show Blood Brothers donated blood at the Waikato Blood Donor Centre.

Kirsty successfully auditioned for Blood Brothers, but pulled out when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour in June.

Society member Yvonne Milroy said the cast and crew were overwhelmed by the public's generosity which raised about $120,000 to fund Kirsty's operation in Sydney last month.

"When we thought about how we could give back to the community, donating blood seemed the ideal way," Miss Milroy said.

"This is our way of saying thank you to the Waikato community for saving Kirsty's life."

Waikato Blood Donor Centre team leader Sandra Greenland said the centre was delighted to have a group of first-time donors give blood. The centre aims to have 500 people donate blood each week in the Waikato.

Blood Brothers opens at Hamilton's Founders Theatre on Saturday and runs until September 22. It tells the story of twins, separated at birth, who meet up later in life with tragic consequences.

Director David Sidwell said Kirsty had auditioned well for Blood Brothers and was a strong singer.

- © Fairfax NZ News