Why I Give Blood

Source: Florida woman, Diane Meyer, donates blood for 300th time

People often ask me why I give blood, and the answer is pretty simple.

I started giving blood because of my dad.

His name was Mike and he was a railroader. Started off working in the rail yard before he even graduated from high school. When he retired, he was the Director of Safety for a large railroad.

Dad battled cancer for about 3 1/2 years. During his treatments he received several blood transfusions. Those transfusions weren’t just bags of blood—they were gifts from people who took time out of their day to help someone they had never met. Those donations helped keep him strong enough to continue his fight, and they gave my family something we desperately needed at the time: hope.

I remember thinking about the strangers who made that possible. They didn’t know my dad. They didn’t know our family. They weren’t expecting a thank-you or any recognition. They simply rolled up their sleeves because someone, somewhere, needed help.

That stuck with me.

I made myself a promise that if complete strangers were willing to help my dad, I was absolutely going to pay that kindness forward for someone else’s family.

So I started donating blood.

Every time I sit in that donation chair, I think about my dad. I think about the people whose generosity helped him, and I hope that maybe my donation will help another family the way theirs helped mine.

The reality is that most of us don’t think about blood until someone we love needs it. I know I didn’t. But blood can’t be manufactured. Hospitals rely on volunteers every single day. Cancer patients, accident victims, people having major surgery, mothers with delivery complications, and even premature babies may all need donated blood. When the supply gets low, those patients are the ones who feel it.

The amazing thing is that something so simple can make such a huge difference. In less than an hour, you can donate blood that may help save multiple lives. That’s a pretty incredible return on your time.

I’ve heard people say they’re afraid of needles or that they’re too busy. I get it. Nobody wakes up excited to get poked with a needle. But when I think about what my family went through, it’s a small inconvenience compared to what someone else may be facing.

I can’t thank the people who donated blood for my dad because I’ll never know who they are. But every time I donate, I feel like I’m honoring them. Their kindness inspired me, and I hope my donation can do for another family what theirs did for mine.

If you’ve ever thought about donating blood, I hope you’ll consider making an appointment. You never know whose life you’ll touch. It could be someone’s mom, dad, brother, sister, best friend—or someone just like my dad. Even though he lost his cancer battle, I am grateful for the extra time I got with him because someone took the time to give.