Give Blood, Save Lives

I gave blood for the first time today... definitely a unique experience! The hospital does not have a blood bank and so when patients need blood, they search for family members who can donate to them. I never thought about what you do when you can't just call down to the blood bank and pick up one unit of blood for a patient... We take so many things for granted in our westernized hospitals. Many kids die here because they have no one to donate to them or they are unable to receive the blood in time. This morning Dr. Miller came up to me and asked me if I wanted to give blood. There was a little boy that needed blood and I had his blood type. His dad had donated to him twice but the boy's hematocrit was still only 10%. So I went to the lab and donated blood. I have to say it was the strangest and the greatest feeling to walk back to the peds ward carrying my own blood for a patient. The father was there and even though we could not speak the same language, his face showed so much gratitude. I asked him if he would allow me to pray for his son, and I prayed for healing for this boy and that his family would come to know the Lord if they don't already know Him. Pray for this family and so many others that are hurting because of sickness. Pray for opportunities for me to be a light here, both in my words and my actions.

Update: It's Tuesday now and the boy is feeling better. His hematocrit jumped from 10% to 19% - apparently I have really good blood! Thanks Mom for making me eat healthy and take vitamins! :) The parents thank me every time I go visit.