This morning has been a very unproductive one… our server is down which means I can’t access any files to get things accomplished. Grrr! Thankfully, I can get email and access the internet. So after I was semi-productive responding to emails, I decided to “creep the book” and search for Red Cross posts. I was amazed when I found these stories from a Red Cross blood drive volunteer in Findlay, IL (Shelby County).
“The blood drive was well underway when a woman brought this beautiful, little boy. The boy who had to be around 8 or 9 years old and he wanted to see a drive. He wanted to know more about the process. I showed him around. His name was Chris and he was from the Philippines. As I showed him around I asked why he wanted to know this. His answer was simple, “Because last year, blood donations saved my life.” He left after that and I didn’t even get a picture, but it reminded me why I want to help save lives by collecting blood.”
And another good story…
“I was pulled away from what I was doing when a woman wanted to know how often we held our First Baptist Drive. I recognized her immediately because she so rarely misses donating. Her name is Emma. After I explained that we always had our drive on the third Thursday of every month, she said she could easily remember that. She told me that she was severely frightened of needles. She said that when she was a child a needle was nearly broken off in her arm as she fought those who gave her an immunization. She did not give blood because of her fear of needles.
Then her son was in a terrible motorcycle accident. At that time she sat in the Emergency waiting room as they gave him several units of blood so that he could survive his injuries and blood loss. She thought as she sat there that if everyone had the same attitude as she did, her baby would not survive. She pledged to fight her fear and to donate to save the lives of strangers as they had for her child on that day.
Today she earned her three gallon pin. That means she has given 24 times since she made that promise. Way to go, Emma!”
How’s that for a couple of feel good Friday moments?!? The only thing that might make you feel better is to set up your own blood donation appointment… hint, hint, wink, wink. And to think, I wouldn’t have found these had the server not been down. The universe works in mysterious ways.
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