Donating blood



I don't particularly love having a needle jabbed in my arm. But I try to donate blood as frequently as possible, because I know how much good it does. Over 33 years ago I was the recipient of donated blood when I was going through some serious surgery. I've never forgotten the gratitude I felt to the anonymous donor(s) who made a difference for me. So I suppose I am "paying it back" in a sense. For years, I didn't qualify to donate; once enough time had passed after my cancer, it was very nice to be permitted to contribute. Now I have COVID antibodies, so it's especially nice to share!
Today I received a notification that my most recent donation had been sent to a hospital in Puerto Rico. (I love that Red Cross allows you to track your "blood journey.") For some reason, this struck me particularly strong. Four years ago we had the chance to visit Puerto Rico; it was a beautiful and fascinating area. Six months after we were there, hurricane Maria devastated the island. Three thousand people were killed; cities, buildings, streets, farms, and trees suffered massive destruction estimated at over 50 billion dollars. Incredible poverty and physical challenges followed. Having so recently seen how beautiful the island was, it was heartbreaking to know of the suffering of the residents there.
So it was particularly heartwarming to know that my little donation might make a big difference in the life of one or more of those people.
We have worked with the Red Cross on a number of our donations in Argentina; it's amazing to see the good they do all around the world.
I #GiveThanks for the chance we all have to make our small offerings. We don't ever know how a kind gesture, a small act of sharing, or even a friendly word can impact someone who needs our help. We should always seek to give whenever and whatever we can!

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