Virtual Blood Drive

My chance of survival was about 5%, and I don’t remember March 30, 2024. While riding my bicycle, I was t-boned by a car traveling 45 mph, causing retrograde amnesia that erased that day and much of the week before and after. What I can tell you is the many things that helped save my life that day, my helmet, the 911 callers, the paramedics, the trauma team, and blood products. Despite medical advancements, blood cannot be artificially manufactured, making donations irreplaceable and a key reason why I’m here today. That truth humbles me, and it is the very reason I’m still alive and supportive of blood donations. While I don’t recall being told I was provided lifesaving blood products, my wife was, and I now carry a profound new appreciation for the selfless act of donors and the work performed by organizations like Vitalant. If I could reach the 14 donors who helped save my life, I would tell them that what they did was so much more than a gift, it was a lifeline. Because of them, someone like me gets another chance to laugh, to love, and to live. They are the true heroes of this story of mine, and I will be grateful to them for the rest of my days.