In honor of all the great dads out there who put their children first, we’re sharing the stories of some dads who do good for their own families and others - by donating blood.
David
About eight years ago, David’s daughter, Meagan, was diagnosed with a rare immune disorder that required her to go through chemotherapy. She even spent 15 days in a coma. Throughout her experience, she received blood transfusions made possible by volunteer donors and today is a healthy, college-bound 18-year-old.
David was so grateful for the gifts bestowed upon Meagan by blood donors, he committed to ensure that blood would be available for other families. Even though Meagan’s illness is many years in the past, David is still a Commit for Life donor who gives blood every quarter.
Gary
Gary’s twin sons, James and Jacob, were born premature and spent many weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. As doctors worked to keep them healthy and growing, they each received blood on several occasions. Gary says he cannot imagine what might have happened if blood had not been on the shelf each time James or Jacob needed it.
Both boys eventually were able to go home, and Gary thinks of their difficult start to life each time he visits the Pasadena Neighborhood Donor Cener to give blood. He is a gold-level Commit for Life donor, and in addition to helping save lives with his donations, he tries to help others with the points he earns from the Commit for Life store. He’s used his points to purchase several backpacks, which he donated to a local school for students who needed them.
Marcus
Marcus was already a blood donor when his family experienced a need firsthand, something he never expected. In 2005, the birth of his second son reminded him of the importance of blood being on the shelf at all times. His son was born premature and needed to receive blood to stay strong.
“Saving lives is not just a banner for me,” Marcus says, “but rather a reality that has occurred in my son’s life.” Marcus’ son is doing well today, and Marcus continues to donate for the many other families who would be devastated if not for blood donations.
And finally…
Our Father’s Day post would not be complete with this account - not from a dad, but from a daughter who learned all about saving lives from her dad. Sarah was one of the winners in this year’s Continue the Commitment promotion, which encouraged donors to share their stories of saving lives. Here’s Sarah’s story of giving blood alongside Dad.
My name is Sarah Jane Almquist. This story is about me and my dad, John Almquist. I have been donating blood since I was 17 years old. I had watched my dad donate what feels like hundreds of pints of blood throughout my life.
The day I turned 17 I was devastated that the blood center was closed so I couldn’t give blood. My dad had been saving his donation that month for my birthday. So the next day after school and work was done that was what we did, we went to our blood center and gave blood. The lady at the front asked me if I was scared, I was anything but. I was excited to give blood with my dad and the idea of saving lives was magical.
Now almost 5 years later the excitement of giving blood is still there, even though we’re sometimes separated by 700 miles, this is something that we always make sure to call each other about, our latest blood donation. We like to talk about how fast we gave, who our nurses were, how we feel, and of course, what kind of cookies we had. We know that giving blood isn’t an obligation that we have, it is a privilege that we have been given to help out other people around us, and to help ourselves.
What does your dad do that inspires you? And if you’re a dad, what values and traditions do you hope to pass along to your kids? Happy Father’s Day, dads!
