The Gift of Life

Day 34 - For the last year and a half before I left, my youngest daughter and I used to donate platelets every few weeks (whenever our red blood cells count was high enough that they will allow us to do so, since both of us are on the slightly anemic side of the scale). It takes about two hours and since not too many people can do it and even lesser numbers will actually do, we felt it is a very important thing to do. Ever since I moved here I kept thinking I should find out how to do it here, but it never came from the thinking mode to the action mode. And than two weeks ago, while walking on the hospital grounds, I saw a blood donation station. I stopped and asked them how I can donate platelets and they sent me to the right place - the hospital own blood bank center. The people in the blood bank were very surprised that I came to donate with no one who is currently in need of such donation, but were very happy about my initiative. They took blood samples for testing and told me I will be contacted in a few days. So today was my first such donation here. They were so nice and so grateful, it was such a rewarding experience. Even in this setting of hospital and blood donation I can see the difference. The love, the warmth, the gratitude of the wonderful people who work there. And, if I want, I can even know who is the recipient of this gift!! It made me so warm and fuzzy inside :)  it made me so happy I did this simple act of kindness. The direct connection to the patients, made me realize even more than ever, how important such donation is.

I am so thankful that I am healthy and I can give the gift of life to someone who is sick and in dire need of it. After doing it for such a long time, it somehow touched me so deeply. I feel so blessed for being able to do that and I will try repeat it once a month for as long as I can.