Guest Commentary | Blood donors helped save my life
As part of my job with The Breeze, I post to our website the stories which appear in our Weekend edition such as the one written by my colleague and friend, Breeze reporter CJ Haddad.
In the story, CJ quoted Jeremy Puckett, director of Lee Health Blood Center, as saying, “Our Blood Center depends on regular, ongoing donations to ensure lifesaving care is always available for patients across Southwest Florida. January is National Blood Donor Month, and it’s an important reminder that a single donation can make a profound difference, helping trauma patients, cancer patients, surgical patients, and so many others when they need it most.”
As well as South Cape Hospitality and Entertainment Association spokesperson Shannon Quinn saying, “This is a great opportunity to make a real impact … By donating blood, you’re helping save lives right here and by taking advantage of the discounts, you’re keeping dollars local as well. It’s a win-win.”
The story was about SCHEA hosting a Lee Health blood drive this Saturday, Jan 31, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and blood donors getting a plethora of discounts. What stood out the most for me was the date and time of the event, but more on that later.
Besides the discounts and freebies, there’s something else I would like to offer the people who will be donating during this event or are considering a donation — the perspective of one of the lives that was saved by many “someones” who took a few moments out of their own lives to donate a pint of their blood.
Four years ago, on that same day, Jan. 31 (in 2022 that was a Monday), soon after waking up, I began to feel a ripping pain in my shoulders and neck, like someone or something was tearing my head off my body.
I ended up in the Lee Memorial ER where I soon said it felt like my right leg was being ripped away from my body. My ER nurse heard me and told the doctor and after a scan confirmed that my aorta had torn from “top to bottom,” I was rushed to HealthPark where a team of doctors and nurses saved my life with an over six-hour surgery. I was being operated on during the time of the blood drive — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
I don’t know exactly how many units of blood went into saving my life, but I do know it was a lot.
So, a whole lot of people contributed to saving my life that Monday at the end of January in 2022.
I relocated to a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2023 to be near family while I continue to recover from the aftermath of the surgery, but if I was still living in Southwest Florida, I would honestly want to attend the blood drive and thank every person who will take a few moments out of their day . . . to help someone like me have many more moments in my life.
So, this “commentary” will have to do.
Thank you.
Appointments are available to eliminate wait times on Saturday.
Please text Shannon at 239-900-4028 (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or email info@southcapeentertainment.com to secure your time slot.
Michael Pistella is the online content coordinator for the Breeze Newspapers.