Before the diagnosis, David was very active. He was a full-time youth minister, went to the gym five times a week, and was in the midst of planning his wedding with his fiancée. That changed when unexplained bruising surfaced throughout his body, blood clots formed in his mouth and extreme exhaustion drastically limited his activity. Soon, his worst fears were realized: a cancer diagnosis. But despite the devastating news from his oncologist, David never gave up, making a promise to himself to fight the battles that lay ahead. Without blood donation, he may never have won the fight
Over the next nine months, David endured many hardships, including three unexpected trips to the emergency room; four rounds of chemotherapy; more than 75 blood draws; dozens of transfusions; and over 100 days in a hospital bed. There was even a time in the hospital where David believed he would not make it to the next morning. David’s transfusion needs remind us why blood donation is so important.
Thanks to the selfless actions of 37 red cell and platelet donors, David eventually went into remission, celebrated his 27th birthday and married the love of his life. If he could give a message to his blood donors, he would say:
“Thank you for your selfless gift. You do not even know me, but you gave me your life blood so that I could have a chance at survival. You donated blood and gave me a chance to get married and see another birthday and Christmas and to hear that I am cancer free. I am so inspired by your sacrifice of making blood donations, and encourage you to continue saving the lives of others just as you saved mine.”
David is living proof that blood and platelet donations from donors like you have the power to change lives. Because of you, life doesn’t stop. Thank you!