In March of this year, I officially became a blood donor. I had wanted to be a blood donor for years, but because of living in England during the Mad Cow Disease outbreak, I wasn't eligible. One of the reasons I had wanted to be a donor was because my mother had been a recipient before I was born due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.
My most recent donation was in August of this year. I had booked it a few weeks out and as the date approached, I was feeling excited about being able to donate again. The day before I went to donate, my father became ill and had to be taken into hospital. On the morning of my scheduled donation, my father ended up needing a blood transfusion. My appointment really hit home. I realized just how important it is to donate. I am so thankful to the people that took time out of their day to donate, and I'm honored that I've been able to do the same.
