Blood Donors Helped Save My Life

Dear Blood Donors,

Thank you, all of you.

Thank you to the six blood donors, whoever you are, who gave the blood I received two weeks ago when I showed up at the emergency room scared out of my mind and throwing up blood. It was your O-negative donations that kept me alive and healthy enough to endure an operation to remove a stomach tumor I didn't even know I had.

Needing blood is not what I – a normally healthy blood donor who gives blood, not takes it – was used to, though I did write this in a June 22 : "I totally believe that what goes around, comes around, and I'm hoping that if I ever end up in the hospital and need O-negative blood, it will be there for me."

Well, it was, and it's because of donors like you.

To all of the blood donors out there of every blood type, thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit a blood drive, endure that 16-gauge needle in your arm and to others who need it. And to those of you who are heading over to the today between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for its big , thank you; each pint of blood you donate today will help save the lives of up to three patients in the coming months.

Patients like me.

Really, if it weren’t for blood donors like you, I might not be able to hug my 5-year-old son before he gets on the school bus this morning, give my boyfriend a peck on the cheek as he heads out the door or come back to work just two weeks after losing a considerable amount of blood.

So if you’ve ever wondered if you’re making a difference by donating blood, you are. You’ve definitely made a difference in my life, and you’re impacting the lives of the five million other people who will receive blood this year in the U.S. From cancer patients to car accident victims and even Patch editors, your donations are saving and enhancing thousands of lives every single day.

Thank you, blood donors, a million times over for your generosity and willingness to help someone you’ve never met. You have no idea how much it’s appreciated.

Forever grateful,

Jen Anesi
Editor, Oakland Township Patch

If you are interested in donating blood, please visit the American Red Cross website or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To search for nearby blood drives, click here.