For everyone privileged to know my brother John, you know he is a dedicated, passionate friend, loving husband, phenomenal son and brother. He is also quite simply the funniest dude around.
Spend an evening with him and you will find your drink coming out your nose – multiple times – as he slays with dry one-liners. Spend a lifetime with him and you will know the generosity of his spirit and zeal for life knows no bounds.
When I heard that he had been diagnosed with leukemia, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. Here I am, 1,000 miles away, powerless to protect my baby brother from the terrible cancer that now fills his blood.
The medical team are optimistic for an eventual recovery. More importantly, John, along with Liz, his superwoman of a wife and partner in crime, remain optimistic and in good spirits – with full hope they will slay this beast. That said, the road will be long and not at all easy. Daily inpatient chemo treatments for at least a month, followed by outpatient chemotherapy will rule their young lives for quite some time.
Which is where you come in. We have set up this page for John’s friends and family to support him in the months to come in a very tangible and generous way – by donating blood in his honor.
Denver and Pittsburgh friends, I am coming for you in person – I will also be in touch soon setting up mobile blood bank PARTIES where we can honor John, send him notes and videos of cheer, and those who are able to can donate blood in John’s name.
John and Liz are HUGE Harry Potter fans, so expect everyone at these parties to solemnly swear they are up to no good as we Obliviate bad thoughts and Accio love! I am hoping to have all muggles at these mobile blood drives toast a pint of butterbeer for John and have the sorting hat sort them into blood types (not Slytherin).
More to come later on these, but in the meantime, PLEASE PLEASE donate blood in John’s honor, then come to this site to let him know you are thinking of him and remembered him through your selfless blood donation.
Much love,
Janet Hunt, Nancy Stevens and Jen Fisher
And the Mackin/Grand Families
A huge thank you to all who have pledged so far!
John, though we have no idea of the pain and hurt your body and mind are going through, we have no doubt that you will be successful! I promise, years from now you will look back on this dark spot as a “bump in the road,” a mere part of your incredible life story.
This will not define who you are, it needs to get in line with the rest of your amazing self.
“I’m John. I have a saint of a wife, three super (yet humble) big sisters and an adorable dog. I love to travel and have been to Europe multiple times, I love Harry Potter, a good beer, COFFEE, trivia nights, the Penguins, concerts of all kinds, the Beatles, video games, winning every contest in Pittsburgh, long walks on the beach and all that mushy stuff. Oh, and I had leukemia. But it didn’t have me.”
We love you and support you, John!!! Don’t hesitate to call or text if you need an ear! Or a kidney. Or bone marrow. Or blood. Nevermind, you don’t want my crap blood. But maybe just a listening ear?
Challenge your friends (or anyone for that matter) to a friendly competition! Who will win the battle to do the most social good for your community?
Put your virtual blood drive campaign against one or even multiple other campaigns to see who can recruit more blood donors for the American Red Cross.
