Kim Mailes, American Red Cross
Every few years my family holds a giant reunion with the whole clan. But every fifty-six days my aunt and uncles hold a different kind of reunion—at the American Red Cross blood drive. After my dad passed away a few years ago, I began joining them to keep his spirit alive. Together, we continue a family legacy of over one-hundred gallons of blood donated to the Red Cross.
I asked my aunt and uncles about the tradition. Each had a different story about how it began, but they all have the same reason to keep it going.
Uncle Maurice got started first in 1958 to repay a kindness. Short on money to get home from his army base, he turned to American Red Cross for help. When he got back, he began donating blood as a way to express his appreciation.
Uncle Freddie grinned while telling the story of his first donation in 1960. After receiving a demerit from his college ROTC commander, he discovered the mark could be erased by donating blood. That first donation might have been a little selfish—donating blood instead of shining his shoes—but it made him feel so good that he’s been doing it ever since.
Aunt Patsy joined the team a little later, in 1970 after watching her brothers. A hundred-plus pints later, it’s become part of her life. “Our family has given a lot of blood,” she said, “but we’ve required very little of it because we’ve been so healthy. I’m just thankful for that.”
The youngest, my uncle Olan, started donating in 1971. He had returned home from the navy about the time my grandfather on the other side of my family was in a serious car accident. My dad asked his little brother to donate blood for my grandfather’s benefit, and Olan has been donating faithfully since.
Their stories about what got them started are different, but they agree about what keeps them going—the satisfaction of helping others.
“I like the idea of giving something important to someone I’ll never meet,” Freddie told me. “I feel better after I donate than before I get on the table.”
People have stopped Patsy on the street, just to thank her for donating. “Giving blood is so easy,” she said. “I just feel like I’m helping someone.”
I’m proud to be part of this ongoing tradition. We’re all descended from my Slovakian great-grandfather immigrant who came here with nothing, and we’ve been abundantly blessed. In a small way, donating blood allows us to give back for the good things that have come our way.
Time marches on. My dad and his older sister—both prolific donors—are gone and the surviving siblings are getting up in years. But as long as they’re able, every fifty-six days you’ll find them at the American Red Cross blood drive doing their part. Because, in our family, it’s just part of the bloodline.
Want to start your own family tradition? It’s easy. Just contact the American Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html
