I have been told my whole life that I couldn’t donate blood. At the age of 46, I realized I had no clue why.
The more I thought about it, I realized – I had never tried to donate. Why not give it a shot? I know blood is always needed.

So, I scheduled a donation, answered all the survey questions, and arrived at the time of my appointment. Simple. So was the blood draw itself, thanks to a great team of Red Cross phlebotomists.

After the donation, I waited. Thanks to the Red Cross and its technology, I was able to track my blood as it traveled through the different stages of the journey.

Turns out there wasn’t a single reason I couldn’t donate. During each step, I received new information. I also learned I was an O+ donor—a universal and much-needed blood type.

I have since scheduled more appointments and encourage others to do the same.

To donate blood, go to: https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html
If you can’t donate blood, you can always donate to the mission of the Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/local/washington.html