In May of this year, soon after Mother’s Day, my mom, Jacqueline Cobb, passed away at age 66.

Finding the words to describe cancer are difficult. Any qualifier I could attach to her journey would be insufficient in articulating the experience she had for the better part of a decade as the rare blood disease, mylofibrosis, silently metastasized in her body, robbing it of its ability to make normal blood, impacting her ability to fight off viruses, or sufficiently carry oxygen throughout her body. While chemicals and drugs were deployed over the years and provided varying degrees of relief, true alleviation came from blood transfusions. During initial early years, these came, once every couple of months, and were affectionately referred to as mom’s “oil changes” because with them came comfort, relief from symptoms, and the peace that the a return to vitality carried. Over time, the gap between transfusions would shorten to once a month and as the disease progressed, gaps were measured in weeks. In the end, she would be getting a daily oil change.

Our family will never be able to thank the hundreds of anonymous individuals who took time, selflessly donated, and whose blood made its way to mom. Every bag that was hooked up was an abundance of overwhelming gifts; a gift of restoration, a gift of hope, a gift of more time, a gift of another breath. The gratitude that we have for each of these generous, nameless donors will never be exhausted, and this drive is to honor each of their efforts, and through the story of the gift they gave my mom, inspire others…inspire you…to help other individuals and their families get more time.
The inspiration for this drive comes directly from the Carol H. Axelrod Memorial Blood Drive, where I serendipitously found myself several years ago, eager to “give back”. Carol’s own story was similar to mom’s experience. I found the efforts of her family, particularly her daughter Michelle, to be beyond inspirational, and the perfect template to replicate.

Blood isn’t…and can’t be…manufactured. It must be generously given.

We will have a physical drive on December 17th outside of Philadelphia to celebrate mom, and champion each and every donor that gave us the greatest gift. In an effort to expand that celebration, and enable friends and family that knew mom but aren’t in the area to participate, this “sleeves up” campaign is a way for you to give blood on her behalf at a drive close to you! Any day between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve…the season of gratitude and celebration of life…mom’s favorite time of year…you can find a local drive that is convenient to you and give on her behalf . In that act…give truly something special to someone in need. Hope to have you join in!

Jonathan Cobb