Column: Giving blood on Dec. 15th could make the difference between here and gone
Opinion, Column
There were moments—two that I don’t remember clearly—when my life narrowed down to a single, terrifying truth: I was losing blood faster than my body could survive.
What I do know is this: I required an emergency blood transfusion, and my condition was serious enough that I was medically evacuated by helicopter to other hospitals. When you hear those words applied to your own life, everything else disappears. There is no room for pride, panic or debate. There is only urgency. There is only need. There is only the quiet understanding that someone, somewhere, gave blood so that I might keep breathing.
I survived because strangers showed up before I ever needed them.
First responders did what they are trained to do—move fast, stay calm, and make decisions that carry the weight of life and death. Pilots, medics, doctors, and nurses worked in a chain where every link mattered. And the blood that kept my heart beating came from people who likely never knew my name.
That reality has never left me.
Blood transfusions are not rare in my family. More than one of my loved ones has needed them to survive surgeries, illnesses, childbirth or traumatic events. This is not abstract for us. It is personal. It is intimate. It is the difference between making it home or not.
That is why events like the City of Lexington’s Battle of the Badges Blood Drive matter so deeply.
This friendly competition between Team Police and Team Fire isn’t really about trophies—though I know the bragging rights matter. It’s about first responders continuing to serve in a different way, rallying the community to give something far more precious than dollars. Blood cannot be manufactured. It cannot be substituted. When it’s needed, it must already be there.
Someone’s emergency will not wait until supplies are comfortable.
The truth is simple: most of us will know someone who needs blood. Many of us will be that person ourselves.
This Monday, December 15th, the City of Lexington and The American Red Cross is giving our community a chance to show up—for neighbors we know and for strangers we may never meet. All donors will receive a $15 Amazon E-Gift Card and an American Red Cross Battle of the Badges T-Shirt, but the real return is knowing that when the call comes—and it will—you helped make survival possible.
J. Smith Young YMCA
119 W. 3rd Ave.
Lexington, NC 27292
If you’ve ever wondered whether a single donation matters, let me answer that plainly: it mattered to me—not once, but twice in the past two years.
I am alive because a system worked the way it was supposed to—but only because people participated in it.
Let’s show up strong. Thank you to all who volunteered to make this happen. The truth is, we will all win in this battle!
Appointments are still available, and participation is lower than hoped with only days to go. You can schedule your donation by visiting:
https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=LexingtonBOB
