My oldest son is turning seven in a few hours. He almost
didn’t make it to seven hours, let alone seven years. He needed assistance
breathing when he was born, but, just as importantly, he needed a blood
transfusion. He was so severely anemic that had he remained in utero and/or not
received a blood transfusion, he would have died. My son is alive because a
stranger went to a blood drive or walked into a donation center and donated a
little bit of blood and a little bit of time. They were likely thanked by the
volunteers and staff. The person who has allowed my son to become the
compassionate, brilliant, funny little person he is probably had a cookie and
some juice and went about their day. I don’t know if this person gave any
real thought to the fact that what they just did could actually be the
difference between life and death for someone, the difference between joy and
sorrow for a family.
You see, my big boy’s blood type is compatible with mine,
but not my husband’s. I am not allowed to donate blood for many reasons, and
having just had a c-section, would not have been allowed to give blood to my
son, and my husband could not. The kindness of that stranger saved our family
in a situation where we were helpless.
I have always been a huge advocate of donating blood. I am
not allowed to donate due to my medical history, although I have volunteered at
blood drives, and I try to make it as easy as possible for those who can donate
to do so. My son’s life is not the only life for which I am personally grateful
to blood donors, though. Not two years before my baby needed blood, one of my
sisters-in-law was also saved by a transfusion. It is her history, and I shall
not divulge too much of it, but I will say two of the people who I love most in
the world were saved by people who took the time and ignored any fear of
needles they might have and gave blood. It is so simple, but so few do it. The
supply of blood is frequently running short. If you can donate, please go out
and give. It is simple. It doesn’t take long, and while you may never meet the
people you help, you are giving an absolutely priceless gift.
To those of you who take the time, thank you. Thank you from
me, from my son, from my family. Thank you for allowing all of us to get to
know him; thank you for allowing his welcome to the world to be dramatic, but
not a welcome and a farewell all in one day. He’s a wonderful child. He loves
to help and care for others. Maybe some of his empathy came from you. Thank you
for keeping my sister-in-law with us. We all need her. Thank you from all of
the receivers of blood and those who love them. It is so simple, so easy, and
so very important.
No comments:
Post a Comment