It's safe to say that on a daily basis I am inspired by the people I meet through my career as a journalist.  The stories we tell can be heart wrenching and difficult to watch, but more often than not, we introduce you to some incredibly strong and courageous people who encourage our viewers to do great things themselves.   Holly Plante is one of them.  

Holly came into my life purely by chance.  I was searching for a single, young woman to interview for a dating story I was doing on the dating scene in Edmonton.  Friends of friends suggested her and she was the perfect fit.  It was during the shooting of those stories that she met her husband Mike.   So, in a sense, our stories brought this beautiful couple together, but that wouldn't be the end of their story with us.

Mike and Holly brought a perfect little daughter into the world in March, 2010.   They named her Hope.  A fitting name since they would have to have a lot of hope to get them through a near death experience following her birth.   Two weeks after Hope's arrival, Holly hemorrhaged and needed several blood transfusions just to keep her alive. There were times the doctors thought they were going to lose Holly, but she pulled through and now, almost 3 years later, continues to be so grateful to those who give blood...to those strangers who saved her life.  

I have always given blood, but never had a personal connection, until this happened to Holly.  I felt such a strong desire to do something so our annual "CTV Giving Hope" campaign was born.  It started small the first year with a couple hundred CTV viewers rolling up their sleeves and continued to grow last year.  Now in our third year, we are looking to help Canadian Blood Services secure the majority of the 4,900 donations it needs for the month of October across northern and central Alberta.

When you donate, take a picture and tweet it including #CTVGivingHope or post it to our CTV Edmonton Facebook page. We want the entire capital region to be inspired.  

So, if you can, please give.  It means so much to so many.  

Erin