giving life

donating blood.

my dad has donated gallons of blood in the last two decades. it's something he does as often as it works out in his schedule and as much as he is allowed. i'm not certain as to how he got started- but i remember growing up and seeing the neon elastic band around the punture site and his sticker that read "be nice to me,  I gave blood today." maybe he just wanted us to be nice to him once in a while, so he gave blood.

in high school, when we had our blood drive, it only seemed natural that i do it as well. what's the worst that could come out of it? sure, you feel a little woozy afterwards but then you get juice and a cookie, not to mention a free meal at subway complements of STU.CO. i continued to give in the summers- dad and i would go to the hospital or fire station and race to see who could give the fastest. he always won (not by much, though)... i've gotten away from it going to college. it disappoints me and i'm going to do better.

your blood is given to someone who needs it. you lose a pint. to you, a healthy person, it is so little. to a sick person, it is so much.

organ donation.

when i turned 16 and got my license, i said YES to organ donation. my mom didn't get it at first. she told me she didn't want them to "cut me up" after i had died. "it's weird, ash." i explained to her: but. what would i do with them? wouldn't it be good to give someone else life?

newest to me is: bone marrow donation

did you know there is a national registry that you can be a part of?

a family friend is suffering from multiple myeloma. they are praying for a bone marrow match as his only chance. they've tried so many other treatments- approved and experimental. he is a fighter. still working on his farm as much as he possibly can- more than he should, that's for sure, but it's what keeps his spirits up- that and his wife, 4 kids, and 2 granddaughters. his second daughter will be married in august. she's graduating from PA school this month. she posted a link last night on facebook. they are sending me a kit to swab my inner cheeks in the next 7-10 business days to be typed and processed to join the registry. maybe i'll be a match for dan. maybe i won't. hopefully someone will be. and maybe i will for a stranger who is special to someone else.

if it's God's will.

consider it. there is someone out there that might need you. what do you have to lose?