There Is Something You Can Do
When my dad arrived at the E.R. on Thursday evening, his blood pressure was so low it barely registered. His hemoglobin, which should be almost 14 grams per deciliter, had sunk to 6.
What sustained him overnight and through surgery the following morning was the kindness of strangers.
Strangers who found an extra hour in their busy lives, rolled up their sleeves, and gave a pint of blood.
There are at least five people out there, somewhere, who collectively saved my father's life.
I have absolutely no way to thank these anonymous heroes, whose only rewards were a cup of juice and a cookie and maybe an "I Gave Blood Today" sticker. They could not possibly have known how their selflessness would radiate outward until it reached a nondescript emergency room late one night, where it altered the destiny of one beloved man and his family.
If you have never given blood, I implore you to start now. To see if you are eligible, click here.
To find out where to donate, click here.
If you need further persuasion, here are 10 reasons to give blood plus answers to the top 10 excuses for not donating.
It took me years to give blood. First I didn't weigh enough. Then I was too squeamish. Eventually, I was shamed into doing it. I had to organize a blood drive at work, and there was no way around it—I couldn't exhort people to open a vein if I wasn't going to do it myself.
It turned out to be surprisingly easy, amazingly quick, and practically pain-free. And very, very rewarding. Although I haven't been eligible to give blood since my first diagnosis back in 2001, I am hoping to re-qualify someday.
If you are already a regular blood donor, you have both my admiration and my gratitude. If you need a bit of extra encouragement to make the time, or to stare down the needle, just imagine someone you love needing a life-saving transfusion.
Now imagine the stranger who could have donated that blood but didn't.
What sustained him overnight and through surgery the following morning was the kindness of strangers.
Strangers who found an extra hour in their busy lives, rolled up their sleeves, and gave a pint of blood.
There are at least five people out there, somewhere, who collectively saved my father's life.
I have absolutely no way to thank these anonymous heroes, whose only rewards were a cup of juice and a cookie and maybe an "I Gave Blood Today" sticker. They could not possibly have known how their selflessness would radiate outward until it reached a nondescript emergency room late one night, where it altered the destiny of one beloved man and his family.
If you have never given blood, I implore you to start now. To see if you are eligible, click here.
To find out where to donate, click here.
If you need further persuasion, here are 10 reasons to give blood plus answers to the top 10 excuses for not donating.
It took me years to give blood. First I didn't weigh enough. Then I was too squeamish. Eventually, I was shamed into doing it. I had to organize a blood drive at work, and there was no way around it—I couldn't exhort people to open a vein if I wasn't going to do it myself.
It turned out to be surprisingly easy, amazingly quick, and practically pain-free. And very, very rewarding. Although I haven't been eligible to give blood since my first diagnosis back in 2001, I am hoping to re-qualify someday.
If you are already a regular blood donor, you have both my admiration and my gratitude. If you need a bit of extra encouragement to make the time, or to stare down the needle, just imagine someone you love needing a life-saving transfusion.
Now imagine the stranger who could have donated that blood but didn't.
posted by Jody Rosen Knower at 7:42 PM
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