In the spirit of giving more than we receive in this world, I’m organizing a “virtual” blood drive for my birthday, meaning you can donate at any location between today and May 30th!
 
Why a blood drive? The US is still facing a blood shortage due to the pandemic and, on a personal note, Alper and I have become intimately familiar with the impact of blood donations this past year.

A few minutes after what was a typical (typical as in wow-this-is-freaking-hard-and-incredible-but-medically-non-complicated) labor & delivery and we were taking in our first moments with Perry, I experienced a uterine atony which led to a severe postpartum hemorrhage causing me to lose about half the blood in my body. Thanks to a well prepared care team at UCSF, various interventions and an emergency blood transfusion, I get to celebrate 31 with my guys.

I have quietly thanked the strangers whose blood I received over, and over, in my head during these past 10 months. Thanking them for taking time out of their day to donate, thanking them for the gift of being able to witness Perry move through new milestones and witness all the little moments too, and for being able to do this all by Alper’s side. But honestly, sometimes thanking them quietly doesn’t feel adequate.

I would love to honor this gift in a bigger, “louder” way by inviting others to donate with me. My hope is to get 10 friends to donate to a local drive, between today and May 30th. This would add up to 11 pints of blood donated, which doesn’t sound like much, BUT 11 pints means up to 33 lives saved. How amazing is that!?

To sign up add, pledge your name to this list and find a location/ time that works for you. If you prefer to donate at a different location other than the Red Cross, of course, feel free.

This year truly, truly has been a gift. Thank you for helping me celebrate!