A Most High Honor

Tonight my heart was warmed as I read a blog post written by my lifelong BFF, Betsy.  Betsy's blog has certain privacy settings that don't allow just anyone to read it, but she gave me permission to copy and paste the pictures and text into my own post.  

I am so honored, humbled, grateful and touched by this generous sacrifice made by my Tallahassee girlfriends!  More than anything, after all is said and done with my health I just want to make people aware of their ability to save lives!!  Whether it be through organ donation or blood donations, YOU have the ability to give a most precious and priceless gift!  Blood donation saved my life last week, as I received four blood transfusions during my time in the hospital.  And, organ donation will soon save my life as well.  I am so thankful for my friends and the way they've rallied around me during this time in my life, doing whatever they can to help!  Betsy, Sarah, Laura, Rebecca and Jennifer---I love you all beyond words and I am so blessed to call you my friends!

As my friends left the blood bank, they were told that together they saved 15 lives through their donations!!!  I think I can speak on behalf of those 15 individuals who are out there somewhere when I say THANK YOU!!!

Betsy's Post:

In Ashleigh-Anne's Honor

Since my blog is private now, I think I can say that ALL of my readers know my friend Ashleigh-Anne. I blogged about her health struggles last year, just before she had life-changing surgery to have her colon removed. Now she is once again anticipating a very serious surgery, this time a liver transplant, as her own liver is failing. Last week she had a terrifying experience, which you can read about here if you haven't already.

Her situation has left me scared for her, worried, and feeling quite useless since there is very little I can do to help from 500 miles away. Several other friends were feeling the same way, and none of us could get Ashleigh-Anne and her family off our minds. So I brainstormed to try to come up with something meaningful we could do from afar and I came up with the idea of going together to donate blood in her honor. Though we know this won't help Ashleigh-Anne directly, through this latest experience of needing four blood transfusions, blood donation has become her new platform.

Laura, Rebecca, Sarah, Jennifer and I made plans to meet at the blood bank earlier this evening. We were all able to donate and thankfully nobody had any adverse reactions. One of the phlebotomists who helped us had actually already heard Ashleigh-Anne's story from someone else who came in to donate blood in her honor last week. Not surprising really--the girl's got more people pulling for and praying for her than anyone I've ever known!