From a Cool Tattoo to a Lifesaving Donation

I registered at Loufest in September of 2014. To be honest, my friends and I stopped by your booth because we saw lots of people with some rad temporary tattoos. After stopping by, we learned about how easy it is to be put in the bone marrow registry as a potential donor. I was pretty hesitant to have my cheek swabbed because I do not like needles and was afraid. However, after hearing about how something so small could potentially save someone’s life and it was a very rare chance to be contacted, I decided to get swabbed. You can imagine my complete surprise when I received an email the following February that I had initially been determined as a match for someone. I was terrified and strongly considered deleting the email. My initial thoughts were, this cannot be happening, I do not like needles, I am not strong enough for this. However, after reading more about blood cancer, the families that have dedicated their lives to finding a match for their family member, and the minimal risks involved, I decided to have the blood draw done to confirm the match.

This experience has truly been one of the best of my life. The support I received from Delete Blood Cancer, family, and friends helped me conquer my fears of donating blood stem cells to a patient with leukemia. I could not stop thinking about how much this process could benefit someone that lacks so much hope. It was exciting to think that someone out there could have a part of me. I learned so much about myself, including how much I suffer from body shaming and negative feelings towards my body and how the Lord made me. This process has helped me realize that I was created perfectly, even down to the cells in my body. The Lord makes no mistakes..