Bad Blood

Tomorrow I had hopes of donating blood, one of the to-do items on The List. And then I tried to make an appointment online at www.bonfils.org, which is very convenient and easy todo, for the blood drive at the CU Engineering Building right by my work. And then because I answered the last question that YES indeed I had been out of the country recently and YES to a location on their list (Tulum, Mexico), I learned that I cannot give blood for the next 12 months. Dude, that’s a whole year! That’s April 1, 2011.

Image from the UTSA Today website

And so it goes on next year’s list.

Giving blood is important to me. My paternal grandmother, a petite woman who smoked a pack a day, wore lotsa of jewelry and perfume, and taught my brother and I to play poker, was someone who gave blood often, so much so she was honored for the gallons of blood she gave in her lifetime (creepy but nice). Then as a reporter I wrote a lot about people with blood cancers (kids more annoyed than frightened at their disease and the adults who plugged away at life: basically people who wanted the normal back) and events like Light the Night which raises both money and awareness for the cause. And then my high school Latin teacher, and friend, Mr. Ned Leonard, was diagnosed with lymphoma and the son of my beautiful and talented friend Jill P. Mott was diagnosed with leukemia when he was barely 2 years old. This is my cause, the issue that for some reason stuck in my heart.

To give blood is to give of yourself. I gave blood a few times in high school until 1. the volunteer bruised my arm so badly with the needle stick during one visit, my arm was immovable and colorful (I have big fat luscious veins so this was not the issue). 2. I talked my high school boyfriend into donating blood with me. Um, yeah, he fainted afterwards. 3. the final time I donated blood, I fainted. But it was totally my fault: I was dehydrated and giving blood in July in a church basement right after tennis practice. total #fail on my part. But I haven’t given since. I wanted to change that this year.

I made baby steps, though. I’m an organ donor on my driver’s license. Last year, I joined the Colorado Marrow Donor Program, much to concern of some of my loved ones. They worry about any pain or sacrifice for me. I’ve talked to too many people affected by such things where perhaps a blood donation might help. I look at my daughter thinking if she were felled by a blood disease or an accident, wouldn’t I want someone out there to donate? Or if it were me? Wouldn’t I want someone to take a few minutes or an act of courage so I could be a mom? Of course. And so that makes it easy on my end. Those who are sick are the ones who do what is hard.

And so when the Bonfils Twitter account suggested I join the marrow donor registry, I saw that perhaps I have done what I can do for them this year. And I know what’s on The List for 2011. But what can I do to replace this to-do, MUST-do, item? It has to be something I don’t particularly feel comfortable doing but will completely benefit others. I would love to hear your ideas.