Kendall Case
Mount St. Mary Academy
Class of 2016
Little Rock, Arkansas
How has blood donation changed my life?
A little over a year ago I lost a classmate to a disease known as “HLH”. It is a rare and life-threatening immunodeficiency that requires frequent blood donations and transfusions. Mary Ellen Pate was the perfect example of a selfless human being. She was beautiful on the outside and pure at heart. She was the type of person that you would hear about from a friend and say… “Wow, I would love to meet her!”
I never understood how necessary blood donations were until I started talking to Mary Ellen’s mother and father about her condition. They informed me that she was in desperate need of donations numerous times during her battle with HLH. One out of every seven people admitted to a hospital are in need of blood. This statistic shocked me when I heard it from a biology teacher at my school.
After I witnessed someone my own age go through this horrible experience I knew it was my duty to help as many people as possible. Last summer, I hosted a blood drive at my father’s restaurant in downtown Little Rock. Being a blood drive coordinator was such an enlightening experience. I realized that not only did it take hard work to get a large group of people together, but it was also very time consuming. I struggled to balance my job, internship and meeting blood drive deadlines for over three months. Finally, the much anticipated blood drive arrived. I was so excited to check-in all of my friends and their families as they entered to donate! Who knew that the thought of giant needles and blood pouring out of someone’s veins could be so exhilarating? Unfortunately, I was not able to donate my own blood due to anemia. However, I was able to recruit roughly 64 people to come out and face their fear of needles (mostly the girls).
Mary Ellen was a member of my high school’s Varsity Cheerleading Squad before her untimely passing. Cheer and dance were her most prized possessions. Her entire cheer squad came out to show their support for the blood drive in honor of their beloved sister.
Surprisingly, a local news station approached me and asked if I would do an interview for the Saturday night news. I jumped at the amazing opportunity and frantically began to think about what I would say. I thought to myself…“How can I possibly fit three months of work into three minutes of conversation?” Then, I remembered that the entire state of Arkansas could learn from my example of giving back to the community. Therefore, I chose my words wisely and made the most of the time I had on live television.
I feel that it is crucial to inform all generations on the importance of donating blood. Giving blood can change the donor’s outlook on life just as much as it can directly impact the health of the recipient. Oddly enough, around twenty-five percent of the population will need a blood donation at some point during their lifetime. Each time I see a blood donor coach I think of sweet Mary Ellen and how I can help others with similar illnesses. Even if you are like me and suffer from anemia, do not use that as your excuse to avoid helping your local community. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes…would you want help if you were in their sickly position? This is the mentality we should all have when it comes to donating things such as blood. Assuming that someone else will donate and your blood is not needed is a common misconception. Every two seconds a person in our own country is crying out for a blood transfusion. People need to understand that there is no substitution for authentic human blood. The gift of blood is truly the gift of life.
If Mary Ellen were alive and well today she would be the one writing to you. Instead, I have taken on the responsibility to do so myself. I have made it my priority to help others and honor such an inspiring person that was once in my life. I will continue to do just that by hosting blood drives and bone marrow swabs in memory of a dear friend. I have made a promise to myself to be the voice for the ones who are no longer able to speak out on their personal hardships regarding the lack of blood donations. Always remember, “the gift of blood is truly the gift of life.”
Varsity Cheer Picture