One blood donation can help save up to three lives. That means a lot to patients in need, but it took on a new meaning recently.

I’ve held many blood drives at school but I never realized the true need for the blood we raised until a few months ago. One of my close friends’s 13 year old sister was having problems with her heart. It came to the point where she needed a heart transplant. My friend was so worried. It was heartbreaking to see her like that. But finally they found her a heart and the procedure went perfectly. The heart was accepted by the body.

When I talked to my friend about it, I learned that the 13 hour procedure required 23 pints of blood. 23 pints.

There are so many people who need blood and the only way they can get it is through the donations made by people like you. Without blood donors, my friend’s sister would not be on the road to recovery right now. That man you saw in a car accident last month wouldn’t be out buying holiday gifts for his family. The mother going through chemotherapy wouldn’t be supporting her kids through their final exams.

The people that these blood donations save are not just humans. They are friends, brothers and sisters, moms and dads, cousins, neighbors, husbands and wives, people who are loved by others. It is up to us, as blood donors, to give them more time in their lives.

This holiday season, give that perfect gift of time to those who need it. Make the pledge to donate blood.

Help me reach my 50 pledge goal and ensure that patients receive the life saving blood they need. Make and keep an appointment to give blood to the American Red Cross.