The Importance of Donating Blood: A Letter from Nurse Becky Williams

Dear Everyone,

I hope this finds all of you and yours well and safe during this time. Please know that if you have any needs--including a listening ear--that help is available by calling the Pastoral Care number: 225-773-2466. 

As the Blood Drive with OLOL on September 19 draws nearer, I hope you are prayerfully considering giving the gift of life. These words from fellow parishioner Buck Copeland speak so very well to the importance of donating ...

"I have trouble ever telling Becky Williams 'no,' so today I am writing to everyone about the act of donating blood and why it is so important. The boring statistics of how each unit of blood can save 3 lives and each day the world needs at least 38,000 donations just to meet that day’s demand doesn’t really convince anyone as to why it is important to them. Someone else always steps up when there is a need so the majority of people believe they don’t have to. The trouble with that logic is when you or a family member needs blood and there is none available, who do you blame? The volunteers that regularly give blood or those who said they didn’t have the time or were afraid of needles? I will admit that I have no great fondness for the procedure but just like the blood that is donated, there is no substitute.
 
I work with medical professionals and I have seen the problems they encounter when trying to schedule a surgery and the blood bank tells them they simply do not have the number of units the doctors are requesting. Delaying an elective procedure might not be too much trouble for the patient but what about the accident victim who can’t wait and needs surgery that evening? I know this happens and can’t imagine how the family must feel. How many of us know families that have members with cancer, severe burns, are on dialysis or maybe suffering from hemophilia? These people need blood on a regular basis and their needs are in addition to those needing surgery or worse, were involved in an accident.
 
Donating blood is a simple and safe procedure that impacts the lives of people you may or may not know. Once you have donated the blood, you don’t know if it was used to save a patient during surgery or was used to extend the life of a cancer patient. No matter what the use was, a donor can feel a sense of satisfaction that they helped someone.
 
I will close with a short story about a woman walking along the beach after a severe storm. Every so often she would reach down and throw one of the stranded fish back into the ocean. A man walking towards her saw her throwing a fish back. He stopped and asked her what difference did it make since there were thousands of stranded fish on the beach. She looked at the man, picked up a fish and threw it back into the ocean saying it made a difference to that one and to me.
 
So, I say to all of those people who haven’t decided yet to donate blood, make a difference for the person you will likely never know and for yourself. I have been donating blood since I was 18 and there is a satisfaction that comes with knowing you might have made the difference in a person’s life." 

If you'd more information about the blood drive or want to schedule an appointment for donating on September 19, please feel free to contact me at bwilliams@stlukesbr.org, or by calling the church office, 225-926-5343. And remember....give a pint, get a pint..of Bluebell!

Thank you for sharing the gift of life,
Becky Williams, RN
Director of Health Ministries 
Pastoral Care Facilitator
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
bwilliams@stlukesbr.org