Sunday, July 19, 2015

Blood, Sweat, and Frankie


A couple years ago, I wrote a post about my internal struggle to get up the courage to donate blood.  For those who haven’t read it, let me summarize it for you:

Donating blood makes me nervous.

Like, really nervous.  Sweat pouring out of me nervous.  On the precipice of a panic attack nervous.  It’s not the needle, it’s the combo of my impossible-to-hit veins with the awesome reaction of my body to the loss of blood (hint: it’s not pretty).  Quick update for those of you who did read the post – I have had another failed attempt since my previous success story.  I’m, um, not going to dwell on that…

But I am going to try again.  Mostly because I’m stubborn and I want to.  If you know me, this comes as no surprise and you can probably stop reading, but for those who don’t please allow me to explain myself.  

Fighter Frankie!
I want to donate because of Frankie, the son of a dental school classmate of mine.  Frankie has been a fighter since birth, as he was born with cancer.  But it’s not just Frankie that drives my desire to donate.  Yes, he is the catalyst and I am honored to be able (to try) to donate at his 1st Birthday; but he’s not the entire reason.

I want to donate because it easily could have been the person at dental lab bench #76 (me) instead of the person at bench #18 (Frankie’s mama) wondering why this was happening to her precious boy.  

I want to donate because no mom should ever have to see her little one need blood.  But since some do, I want blood to be there for them.   

I want to donate because ALL moms need support, especially those whose hearts are hurting for their little ones.  Sadly, we have lost this sense of community in our judgement-filled “mommy wars” culture and we desperately need to get it back.  

I want to donate because I am blessed to have healthy children, which in no way means I can turn a blind eye to those whose children are not as healthy.  In fact, in means that doing something like donating blood is just a small blip on the radar of life – even when you’re so nervous about it you kinda want to yak.  

I want to donate because you don't get a lot of chances to make a life-changing impact for another person, so I want to take those opportunities when I can.  Plus a blood donation can impact up to three people, so that's a pretty good return on your investment if you ask me! 

I want to donate because as a Christian, I am called to look not only to my own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Mathematically this looks like: Others’ Interests (saving lives) > My Interests (not passing out in public) 

I want to donate because only 3% of eligible donors actually donate.  And I want to be part of the 3%.

Lastly, I want to donate because I want my boys to see that some things are worth doing, even if they are not easy.  Maybe especially when they are not easy.  

And so, I have signed up to donate at Frankie’s 1st Birthday Party…and I want to encourage you to join me.  If you are apprehensive, think of your own reasons why this is important to YOU and then sign up!   I will be there to cheer you on!  And you’ll definitely recognize me - I’ll be the one with sweaty palms, lying supine on the table looking super cool while trying not to pass out…


PS: If you absolutely can't donate or are not eligible to donate, please consider volunteering in another capacity to help Frankie's 1st Birthday be a huge success in raising money for children with cancer!  There are lots of opportunities, click here to find one that's up your alley!

1 comment:

  1. Love it! My dad has received tons of blood transfusions in his battle with cancer also, donating regularly is definitely on my to do list also! Donated blood has literally kept him alive long enough to receive the treatment that has started working to fight his type of cancer. Prayers for this sweet baby and his family!

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