(no subject)

[adiva_calandia]

Yesterday was a day for heroes -- specifically for a hero of the fight for civil rights -- and I celebrated by writing about a young man who died in the Civil War.

Today is a day to change somebody's life, and I celebrated by donating blood.

Every time I donate I make a post like this, I know, but it's always true and it always need to be reiterated. Donating blood is a real, concrete way to be a superhero. I'm O-, and people need my blood, and I don't donate as often as I should. I didn't know my type until the first time I donated, and whenever I donate I wonder how many other people are wandering around with blood that could help others and don't even know it.

But it doesn't matter what blood type I am. Blah blah blah universal donor blah, sure, but in most cases, doctors prefer to match types. That means if you're AB+, there's someone out there who might be better off with your blood than mine.

When I walked into this computer cluster, I was greeted by a freshman friend who said "If only I weren't afraid of needles . . ." "No, no!" I said. "I don't like needles either, but it's seriously just a little pinch, it's nothing." She sort of smiled at me indulgently and said "You're funny."

It's not funny. It's very, very serious. But it's a joyful sort of seriousness. In a material way, I know that I just made the world a better place.

I wish more people would do this with me. It's okay to be scared about it, so long as you do it. Put aside fear for courage. Save a life. It's not a pithy advertising slogan, it's just true.

Now I'm gonna go watch the inauguration. Peace, cats and kittens.

Comments

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

It absolutely breaks my heart, every time I think about it, that I can't donate blood. I'm B+ so it's not exactly a rarity, but every time there's a drive, every time my dad talks about going in for his every-3-months-like-clockwork blood donation, I'm sad.

I think my point was I'm proud to know you, someone who's doing everything she can to try to get more people out there to donate, and gives as often as she can. You're making up for people like me who wish we could and can't, I think.

[crisavec.livejournal.com]

I was disappointed in myself last year...work got so nuts that for the first time in ages I did not donate atleast 4 times in a year.

angie_di keeps prodding me to take her with so she'll have moral support to encourage her to donate, I really need to do that.