Giving Back

Today I was honored to be the guest speaker at Lifeline Blood Center's annual donor luncheon.  It was held at Union University here in Jackson and the purpose was to honor and thank the faithful donors who donate blood products to the blood center regularly.

Kyndall and Matthew were invited as well and Kyndall was SO excited to be able to participate.  As many speaking opportunities as I've had lately, this is the first time she's been able to attend and see what it is that I do and why I love it so much.  With all that she's seen and experienced, perhaps in a few years she might even find her calling in public speaking as well.  

I haven't been on Union's campus since the new library was completed.  Beautiful!

When we were seated and her food was served, she looked at me with bright eyes and said in the sweetest voice...."Mommy...I get to drink out of a fancy glass!"  It doesn't take much to wow this girl.

Pinky's up!

Basically my job was to be the face of blood donation.  They asked me to tell my story and incorporate the ways in which blood transfusions have impacted my life so that the donors could have a visual representation of what their gifts have done for so many people in our community.  

Despite how much I hate it, I told them the story of my Dairy Queen incident and shared that my very first blood transfusion took place that afternoon.  That transfusion was started at Jackson General and then I was transfused on the helicopter to Vanderbilt in Nashville.  Since those blood products came from Jackson, it's very possible that I was looking into the faces of my donors today.  I told my listeners that part of them could very likely now be a part of me.  Food for thought.

I kept my story brief and mostly focused on how very thankful I am for their selfless gift of blood donation.  If it weren't for the many, many units of blood I received over the past two years I would not be there today.  Those transfusions sustained me as my body was failing me.  They were life giving to me.  In my mind, blood donors are just as important as organ donors because without their gift I would never have made it to September 16th, 2014.

I ended by sharing two quotes that have become very dear to me throughout this journey.  As I read them aloud to my audience, my eyes filled with tears and my voice began to quiver.  Just as always, I started to cry.  It doesn't matter how many times I tell my story I still get emotional when I truly reflect on the miracle that took place inside of my worn out and broken down body.  They are not tears of sadness but rather tears of thankfulness and humility.

Here are the quotes I shared...

"You have not truly lived until you've done something for someone who can never repay you."

"To know that even one life has breathed a little easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Joe Schifano, CEO of Lifeline Blood Services

This lady right here has become a dear friend of mine.  Cherie is the public relations coordinator for Lifeline and I first met her back in the fall when she asked our family to film a commercial for Lifeline.  She's as sweet as they come and I just adore her.

My biggest cheerleader, my greatest encourager, my unsung hero, and the one whom my heart loves.  His love and support and tender ways have been just as vital to my existence as the things mentioned above have been.  I could not imagine walking this road with anyone else.  God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave me Matthew.  He knew how desperately I would need him.

Because of blood and organ donors I am able to continue being a wife to Matthew and a Mommy to Kyndall.  Somehow, the words "thank you" just don't seem like enough.

After the luncheon was over many of the donors came over to introduce themselves to me and my family.  I loved meeting them and hearing stories of why they choose to donate regularly.  Many of them said it's one simple, FREE way for them to do something for the greater good of humanity.  Others had a vested interest because a close family member or friend had once been in desperate need of blood.  The most striking response came from a gentleman who told me that he had almost decided to stop giving when one day he received a phone call from the blood center informing him that his very own blood had just saved an individual's life.  With tears streaming down his face he told me there was no way he would ever stop donating after hearing something like that.  

These people are heroes in my eyes and in the eyes of anyone whose life has been sustained because of their generosity and selflessness.

Are you a blood donor?  If the answer is no, I encourage you to consider making it a part of your life.  Much like my passion for organ donation I have a strong passion for blood donation as well.  It is such a small act but to those of us in need it is a priceless and precious gift.  

God bless donors for their ability to look beyond themselves and never expect anything in return.