How'd you like to Save a Life?

That's right, you any of you could maybe help save a life. On May 12 my friend Jessica, they're having a Bone Marrow Drive at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital (in Nashville). IF you live any where near Nashville I'm BEGGING YOU please go get tested. Since it's a drive this should be FREE to all. They will be doing simple mouth swabs for this drive.

What is a small amount of discomfort/pain when you could be saving a life? Think of the ACTUAL pain a child with cancer goes through? The physical pain of chemo, radiation, the getting sick, the days, weeks, sometimes months where they're blood counts are too low for them to leave the hospital much less get to see anyone outside of their family and medical staff. Think of what it must be like to know you COULD die because of this disease that's ravaging your little body when all you want to do is be outside, running, playing, riding your bike, playing ball, etc. Think of it.

I urge, no I challenge each of you to get tested and put on the bone marrow registry whether there is a drive near you or if it's something you have to do yourself. I do know that for ALL minority races it's completely free, but for those who are white you do have to pay. I know it doesn't make sense, but for some rediculous reason minority races do not get tested near as often. So no matter what color your skin is, go get tested and do it NOW. To find out more information on bone marrow donation go to:

www.marrow.org

You can go to your local hospital or dr and have your blood drawn and then Fed Ex it to the marrow registry and it'll be in the system and if you EVER come up as a POSSIBLE match they'd call you, you'd have some more blood tests, and then if you are that LUCKY and VERY BLESSED Match....you go in for a same day procedure of them pulling your marrow out, and with in a couple days you'll be back to your everyday life. Knowing in your heart you just gave a family HOPE for tomorrow. Take it from a Mom who GOT that hope, it meant the world to us. To know that the only way for Jordyn to possibly live was because of the generousity of a stranger....it meant so much to us.

I pray you will all not only get tested but will also make a regular habit out of donating blood AND plateletts. Those are also life savers, literally. We all know that it seems we constantly have a national shortage on blood and all blood types, so what's stopping you? Sure you can always think of an excuse, but what if tomorrow you needed that blood transfusion and because today you were "too busy" there's no blood for you? What if tomorrow someone YOU love was dx with cancer, trust me they're going to need a blood or platelett transfusion at some point...but you were too busy to donate. DONATE.

Visit Jillian's page, find out about their bone marrow drive...

www.caringbridge.com/visit/joyfuljillian

God Bless