I Will Die On This Hill

I was at the grocery store earlier, waiting on my laundry to dry next door. A black man and I stood at the TV watching some of today’s outrageous events unfold in D.C. He turned to walked away and simply said, “Sad.”

Yes it is. Among other things, it is deeply sad that our country has been reduced to this, all for a deranged white nationalist sociopath who launched and continuously fueled a massive moral and intellectual regression. The blame for all of this chaos belongs entirely to the Trumps. It is who they are. Violation is their legacy.

He didn’t make America great. He made it a disgrace. And every person who resides in this country will be forced to live with the side effects of that fact, coming from both inside and outside of our borders, for a very long time.

I am a minority opposing the Trump administration in my state, and let me be very clear, I stand proudly and without hesitation in that decision. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I may not be worth much in the world’s shallow eyes, but my integrity is sound. I will die on this hill knowing that I was on the correct side of history.

An Unexpected Phone Call

I received a call on New Year's from the blood bank, asking me to donate to a pediatric patient who matched my rare blood group. I said yes, of course, but wanted details about my blood so I could document it. They pulled me up in their database, and wrote down what matched me with the patient. It turns out, in addition to being A negative, I am in an ultra rare Rh blood group that includes several missing antibodies. The lack of these antibodies makes my blood safe for newborns and infants. These antibodies are found in over 85% of adults. I’m in the vast minority who doesn’t have them. The staffer told me that, as well as my A negative type, put me in 6-11% of the population. Babies needing a transfusion can only be given blood that is the right type + lacking antibodies they don’t have, because giving them antibodies they don’t have can shut down their organs, which are still in development. If you’ve heard of the Rh shot given to some people during pregnancy to save their baby, this is the same. Incompatible Rh is potentially deadly, thus the critical nature of finding exactly the right blood. The percentage of donors who are eligible is so tiny, they have asked me if I would remain on-call to continue to donate to this patient for as long as it’s needed.

If you are eligible to donate blood, please know it is safe to do so. Everyone is masked, everyone’s temperature is taken, and sanitizing is strict. It doesn’t hurt anymore than a blood draw at the doc office, and it only takes an average of 15 minutes. There is a critical need for all types thanks especially to COVID. Your blood may be tested for COVID antibodies. Mine have been negative, but we will see what my results are in a few days.

I feel fine after donating this time, as I followed their instructions and ate a full meal before donating. They give you snacks and drinks if you want them, and I will also eat a nice balanced meal tonight.

You never know who you will save with your donation. I was not expecting to do this again, but that phone call has given me a sense of purpose; a specific thing that I can do to help a specific someone that I’ll never know. For a humanitarian, it doesn’t get much better. I’m grateful to help.