At John E. Peakes Insurance Agency we care about others and our community. On this quest to better and help our community, as well as others in the world, I have decided to do things to really make a difference in peoples lives. To start it off, I decided I was going to donate blood to the Red Cross. 24 years old may not be old, but many people have donated blood numerous amounts of times by this age. I am not one of them. I have never donated blood before and I have only had my blood drawn once. And the amount of blood you give for donation compared to a sample for your doctor is significantly different. I had been looking forward to donating since I signed up for the appointment. I was ready to save a life and really make a difference.

Here is a side note I forgot to mention, the one and only time I have had my blood drawn I fainted. I knew this was something that could happen again when donating, but listening to others who had donated, this seemed like a piece of cake. Well, to cut my story down, I didn’t make it. Yeah, I am sure you all have already figured that out. Although I was extremely nervous, and could feel my heart racing, I was determined to get through it. I laid on the table waiting for the doctor to help me, watching the two other people in the bus lay on their backs as bags filled up with red liquid. The space was much smaller than I had thought it would be and it was hard not to focus on the fact that blood was going to be pumped out of my body. So I took deep breaths and continued. The black ball was placed in my had, I squeezed to make the veins more visible, and in when the needle. OK, not so bad, actually. But the tiny pinching sensation that I thought would go away, wasn’t. And there was nothing to distract me other than squeezing the ball every five seconds. But as the minutes passed, that became tougher and worried that my body was becoming too weak. Suddenly a wave of nausea and heat overwhelmed me. I started to get the spins, when the doctor came over and looked at me. Asking me if I was alright, I disclosed to him that I felt sick to my stomach and I knew I had gone pale. He explained the needle must come out and I was going to be done.

I was so upset, and as embarassing as it is to admit, tears filled my eyes. I was letting myself down and letting someone who was going to need this blood down. I wanted to help save a life and I failed. Luckily my friend was there to bring me up when I was feeling so down. She explained how proud of me she was for even trying and that we must be thankful for the people who do donate. She was right. Although blood donating my not be for me, there are so many people who do it, and we must be thankful for them. And since I may not try to donate blood again, I am going to find other ways to help those in need. At the end of March I will be participating in Habitat for Humanity, helping rebuild a home for a family in need.

I will continue on this journey to help others and our community in any way I can. I am not giving up, but am learning about myself along this journey. So help me thank all of those who donate their blood, marrow, organs and so on to help save those in need.