Friends in need

So a good friend of mine as well as my co-worker has been sick for some time now. They finally ran a bunch of tests on him and came back that he was anemic. Wow. I never new anemia could make you feel so run down and give you so many issues. He explained that there are different types. Now that they knew what he was suffering from they had to go to the next step and figure that out.

So a couple Friday's ago, when we were supposed to get the "Monster storm" he gets a call AT WORK from the Dr's office telling him bc of the weather not to drive the hour to get there but that they had his results.... He has leukemia. Yes they told him this while he was at work. Granted they were calling for 18-24 inches of snow and with news like that I can see how driving would be more of a hazard than finding out you have a potentially life threatening illness while at work. I don't recall seeing him much that day so he must've left. I sure would have. They had to let him know that day bc they were making arrangements for him to go to a large hospital many hours from here.

I think I blogged about this already. Either that or I'm having deja vu'.

So he went to the big hospital and they ran more tests. We were under the impression that he would have chemo and wait to see if he needed a bone marrow transplant. Well, the chemo didn't happen. He needs bone marrow. His brother was tested today and there is only a 25% chance that he will match. Only 25%. Can you imagine!? If his brother doesn't match then they got to the registry to look for a match. He has a sister but they have different dad's and insurnace will only test someone if they are 100% full sibling or something to that effect. So anyway, I called my Dr's office today since I have an order to get a cholesterol test done I wanted to know if they could check my bone marrow to see if I would be a match for him. I didn't necissarily want to be on the donor registry. Just wanted to be checked for my friend. Then I got to thinking... How totally and completely selfish is that of me? What about all of the other people out there in my same situation that have a friend that is sick and in need? What if it was Bug? Or someone else's child? What if I KNEW that I could help someone and instead I let them suffer nad die? How completely cruel and heartless of me?! I already know that I have a rare blood type. I know that there is a shortage on my blood yet I went to donate once and they turned me away bc they said my heart skipped. I've since had that checked out and I'm ok so what is stopping me? My Grandpa used to give blood all the time. Why didn't I learn from him? Is it because I'm afraid of needles? That's selfish. If I can have a child and get poked and prodded every month for almost 10 months, recover from a c-section and get a tattoo---but not give blood to someone that may need it.. that's selfish. Hell I probably get rid of more in a month then they would take out of me anyway. (Ya ew gross I know. Grow up you sissy's.) So anyway, my point is that I'm selfish. I'm in a situation that I could potentially help people and I'm not. Yes I have an organ donation card filled out on my drivers license in case I die, however what is that going to hurt me right? I'll be dead. On top of that I choose not to donate my eyeballs or skin or bone or whatever for what reason? Because I'll need those things when I'm dead? So instead I give my heart and internal organs... What about the burn victim's that need new skin? What about someone who has lost their sight and could be given the gift of sight from me? All they're going to do is sew my eyelids shut anyway. What do I need my eyeballs for?

Yes I realize this post is morbid, but after having my friend go through this, it really puts things into perspective for me. What if it was me in that situation? What if *I* had a family to support and couldn't? What if I was faced with the possiblity of death? It must suck.

So I called the Dr's office and the Dr didn't know much. So I called a friend of mine that used to wrk in the lab (and still does on occasion) and is also on the board at the hospital here in town and asked him what I'd have to do. He has a meeting with someone who deals with bone marrow donation etc tonight and will call me tomorrow.

I may have my chlosteral test tomorrow, donate blood and register for bone marrow in the morning.

We are having a fundraiser for him and his family on the 9th. I think it will be a dinner and dance. There is a meeting tomorrow at 530p that I will be going to. His wife cried when she was told about the fundraiser. Yes they have insurance as well as AFLAC, however the hospital that he will be going to is 9 hours away. They have lost wages etc. They also have a daughter that has quite a few health issues on top of what they're dealing with.

After watching Oprah's Big Give, seeing what these people can do for others with little or no money... I could save a life.... the best gift that a person can give. The best gift that we all can give. So next time I'm feeling down, I'm going to think about it and rememeber that I could be so much worse off in my life. Things could be so bad for me. Instead of feeling sorry for myself becuase I dont have any extra money to buy new summer clothes or whatever, I'm going to be thankful for my health and the things that I do have and have worked so hard fo. For you never know when those things can be taken away from you. Everything in life is material.

What's even worse and this may be me being well, me. Thinking and over analizing but it's a fact. We had a gentleman that worked for us years ago. He was with the company for so many years. I wrote about him on my other blog for those of you who were there. He was wonderful. Had such a caring family. Wife, 2 boys and a girl. His wife was diagnosed with leukemia and it eventually took her life. A few years later, he remarried, only to be going through a divorce a short time later ( a year or two maybe)... he went on vacation to TX with some friends. One of which owned a small plane. It crashed and the three friends parished in it. They could only identify my friend bc he had a hip replacement. He left behind a son that was maybe 24 or 25, a daughter that was just starting out in college and a son who wasnt' quite yet 16. They were orphans. Sad. Very very sad. So things in our lives could be so much worse.... Oh the moral of that story, when co-worker parished in the plane crash they had to move people around in the company and hire new people. My friend that is sick w/ leukemia right now, now sits at his desk. I told some co-workers the other day that I feel the desk needs to be burned. Yes, over analyzing and looking into it more than I should. I'm being superstitious.

It just sucks. The entire situation sucks. He is only like 38 or 39 years old. Has a 15 year old and a 8 year old at home. How can I be greedy and selfish and NOT help a family like that???? Maybe I wouldn't be able to help him, but to know that I could have maybe saved a life and didn't!?

Selfish. We are all selfish in one way or another. My Grandma used to say... "No one is perfect. There was only one perfect person in history and they crusified him". How true.