Give Blood, Give Life

This saturday, my family is holding a blood donor clinic in honour of my uncle Andrew, who died 9 years ago from Burkitt's Lymphoma (an aggressive form of cancer). He was diagnosed a month after he was married, and died eleven months later when he was only 31 years old.

We've organized a blood donor clinic every year since his death. The first year, we got 630 units of blood, which was about 3 times the expected amount. Since then, we've gotten 250-300 units a year. My uncle recieved 300 transfusions when during the time when he was sick. The transfusions would keep his immune system at a better level, and towards the end gave him the energy he needed to go out on walks with us and interact with the family, rather than spending his last months in bed.

I've been using facebook to get everyone I know to come donate this year (since most of my friends are now 18 ). Obviously I can't you people to come to our specific blood drive, but the next time there's one being held at your school, shopping mall, community centre, doctors office or whatever, think twice about just driving by. Donating blood doesn't hurt more than getting a needle, it doesn't take very long, and it can save a life.

(There's a little more about Andrew in my blog "Dear Andrew" )