American Red Cross appreciates everyday heroes
By Amy L. Eyles
Every day upon wakening, we are blessed with an exciting deposit of 86,400 minutes, unfailingly deposited into our bank of life.
It is a clean slate and a free gift, with one simple stipulation — we must spend it, all of it, for once it has passed, we will not get it back. This begs the question of each and every one of us — how do we want to spend it — for in the batting of an eyelash, this bank account may close without warning, ending the game which we take for granted.
In contemplating this question, I have discovered that each and every individual is driven to make a difference, in both his or her own life, as well as those lives of others. The predicament becomes finding a means through which to accomplish these two goals, and frequently this answer eludes us.
What if the answer were more simple than we, as humans realized? What if the answer left each individual a hero of his or her own story, and deserving of a medal of honor? What if that answer was within the grasp of nearly every individual in our towns, counties, states and our very country?
As a bilateral lung transplant recipient nearly seven years ago, I required over 400 units of blood for survival. More simply, this translates to the fact that one generous donor family gave me an amazing gift – but beyond this? More than 400 people stepped up to donate the life-saving gift of blood.
Those who step up to donate represent a different type of hero than one might traditionally envision, yet no less vital to the freedom and survival of those individuals who require transfusions on a day-to-day basis. Blood and organ donation remain two of the generous, life-saving and simple gifts an individual can offer, with the greatest reward, for how could one offer any greater gift than saving the life of another?
As a member of the American Red Cross Blood Services board of Northern New England, I would like to encourage community members to become involved, and seek out local blood drives, or visit your local Red Cross donor center to contribute. Upcoming drives in the Ashland community include Wednesday, June 22, 2011 from 1-6 p.m. at Ashland High School, sponsored by St. Mark’s Catholic Church.
Heroes come in many forms, shapes and sizes. Heroes come in your size. Please consider the opportunity to save the life of up to three others, through a simple donation of your life-saving blood or organs, and the gift of approximately an hour of your time. You need not look any farther than you own backyard to recognize the life which you may have saved.
Amy L. Eyles is an American Red Cross Blood Services board member for the Northern New England Region. She is also a New England Organ Bank volunteer.
