Letter to the Editor: The patient who will never know the donor's name

The Cherokee Chamber of Commerce’s October calendar included a blood drive at Cherokee Regional Medical Center on Oct. 8. On a busy community calendar, that is the kind of event someone can easily pass over in search of the next parade, show or family outing.

Yet a blood drive asks us to think about a person we have never met.

Someone may donate because a friend once needed a transfusion. Someone else may simply know that a hospital will need a dependable blood supply tomorrow, next week or during a crisis nobody can predict today. The person receiving the blood is usually a stranger, and the donor may never learn what happened afterward.

There is something deeply Christian about care that does not require an introduction.

Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in response to a question about who counts as a neighbor. The Samaritan finds an injured traveler, tends his wounds and arranges for further help. The injured man has not done anything to earn the Samaritan's attention. Compassion begins with the willingness to see him as a human being.

Blood donation is not the same thing as that ancient roadside rescue, and medical eligibility is important: not everyone is able to donate safely. But the principle is familiar. A community becomes stronger when people choose to support one another even without the promise of thanks or recognition.

Cherokee County knows the value of such responsibility. Hospitals depend on trained professionals, but they also depend on citizens who make time for activities that do not provide an immediate personal reward. Families need care long before they know where they will turn for it.

For those who can donate, a blood drive may be one way to act. Others can support local health efforts through volunteering, transportation, hospitality or helping someone find trustworthy information. The important thing is to match the help to the real need rather than assuming every neighbor needs the same solution.

It is tempting to believe that love is measured by the warmth of our feelings. Jesus gives a more demanding example: love sometimes means showing up for a person who cannot even say thank you.

The next patient needing blood may never see the person who gave it. In a caring community, that does not make the gift any less personal.

Douglas Vandergraph, Fort Collins, Colo.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Cherokee Chronicle Times also publishes Cherokee County blood bank locations each month for Aurelia, Marcus, Cherokee and other donation drives. The dates for November can be found on page 6 of this week’s paper.