I've was a little late making this one (usually go every 59 days), but was sick off and on for quite a while leading up to the marathon. Had a few appointments booked and each time I had to cancel it because I was sick. Then it started getting close to the Scotiabank Marathon and I didn't want to lose a unit of blood too soon before the race so I put it off until today.
I originally started donating blood in memory of Allie Scott a beautiful 2003 baby that contracted AML at 4 months of age and passed away at 9 months. Being a 2003 baby (like Amelia) it hit close to home. Following Jenny's blog and Allie's journey was one that changed my life forever. Since then, I've been active in fundraising/volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (primarily through Light the Night) and try to donate blood every 59 days. It's a small thing but it's something.
Allie's journey also opened my eyes up to the world of pediatric cancer. I try to provide support when possible, in whichever ways I can. These children have truly inspired me and also, changed me forever. Words like Lukemia, Neuroblastoma, Rhabdomyoscarcoma, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, Wilms Tumor, Ewings Sarcoma, Hepatoblastoma, Medulloblastoma are some of the words I never thought I'd learn about. In fact, did I spell these right? Because if I did, it's from memory....from the too many time's I've had to read about them.
Anyway, always important to raise awareness....
What can blood do for others? Here's an example:
Oh and another quick and easy thing to do? Become a bone marrow donor. A simple swab or blood test will put you on the registry. Then, if you are one of the lucky ones, you'll get the call to save a life...how cool is that!
3 comments:
Thank you for this, I WILL quit making excuses and give blood for the first (but not last) time.
Thanks for sharing this Robin. I've donated blood a few times but I have such low blood pressure that I can't do this regularly. Low blood pressure is in our family and brought running into it as well. My dad started running when I was 7 because he had very low blood pressure. I have the same but am glad it's not high blood pressure.
Awesome info..I donated once and I kind of freaked me a bit as I wasn't feeling well post donation but I think it was more a mental thing than anything else..
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