Let me paint a picture for you. It's my senior year of high school; I'm 17 years-old and I weigh a whopping 98 pounds. I'm tiny...no, I'm worse than tiny. I'm scrawny. Towards the end of the year, I find out we're having a blood drive and you have to be 110 pounds to donate blood. So I purposefully started gaining weight so I could give. By the blood drive, I weighed 113 pounds and donated my first pint of blood.
I gave a few times after that, but in college I wasn't able to give when I wanted to because my hemoglobin was too low. Then I got a tattoo...and then I got pregnant...and let's suffice it to say I haven't donated in years. But today, that all changes. Around noon today, I'm heading to one of the area hospitals to donate. I don't know if my iron will be too low, but I can sure try. It's time I started giving back again, and I want to call you to do the same.
According to the American Red Cross, 44,000 units of blood are needed every day. Luckily, we have a little to spare. In a few weeks, our bone marrow will restore the pint of blood we donate. And that pint that our bodies never missed could mean a life saved. I challenge you today to find a blood drive and give if you can. It's about one hour out of your life, but it could mean a lifetime for someone in need.
Visit the Red Cross website to find a drive near you. www.redcrossblood.org
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