Written By: Ian Seth Levine

As a writer for the American Red Cross, I have interviewed some fascinating people. For example, Manny Zuniga’s cousins were founding members of the Mexican-American mafia. Their selfish choices inspired him to live a straightedge life of service to others.

Ken Jones specialized in lethal, customized weaponry for the United States Department of Defense. But after meeting an injured soldier, he redirected his skills to invent video game controls for wounded warriors.

And the Marine son of Janice Chance was killed in action after his act of kindness led him to ride in place of another soldier. But he posthumously inspired Janice to lead a nonprofit that supports other soldiers’ families.

Each person made a conscientious decision to alter his or her life after someone close was injured or killed. Fortunately, that was not the case with Addie Ledbetter.

Addie works as a nurse during the red-eye, Red Bull shifts in the vascular surgery unit of a local hospital. As the medical professional in charge of administering blood products, Addie knows the American Red Cross is experiencing a severe blood shortage.

There’s an abnormally high number of trauma cases, overdoses resulting in organ transplants, and elective surgeries leading to hemorrhages. These burn through the nation’s blood inventory faster than we can replenish it.

Addie also knows that different people have different blood types. And it can be dangerous to receive the wrong one—or none at all. But Addie also knows that she is somewhat of an anomaly.

She has a rare blood type, O negative, that allows her to donate to anyone. “I can literally give blood to anybody, and I can help anyone, so I try to give as often as I can,” she said.

I imagine Addie by her sickest patient’s bedside, the one who ordered the nurses a pizza one night. I imagine Addie not being able to administer enough of other people’s donated blood yet having too much of her own.

She didn’t say any of this. But I wonder. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with giving blood that you can learn more about by clicking here. I think Addie said it best, “I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to help someone else because everyone needs help at some point.” Are you ready to help yourself by helping someone else? Click here now.