How to Save a Life

You can be a Hero and save a life.

I want you to think for second, if you were in an accident or found out your parents had a diseases that left them 6 week to live, what would you do about it?
Would you help them? What if it's your brother or sister that needs help? Would you help them? What if it's your next door neighbour? What if it's someone from a different part of the country? What if it's someone on the other side of the world?

But here is the real question. "If you could receive the help, then why can't you give it?"

Blood donation

Every minute of the day someone somewhere needs blood, everyone need blood sometime in their life, maybe they were In a accident or trying to get through a very risky and difficult operation or even giving birth. They are counting on you to make sure the blood is there when it is needed. Please don't wait for someone else to do this. You are needed.

Only 4% of the eligible population are giving blood, not everyone can give blood, you need to be healthy and disease free so think of this as a free blood check up
Males can donate every 12 weeks and females every 16 weeks.
I have a blood type of B negative, a very rare blood type, in Europe this is extremely hard to find and donors are even harder to find. This is another reason why I signed up to be a blood donor.

Organ Transplants

Organ transplants are the only hope for people with organ failure to overcome this, to live longer than the time the doctor told them they have left in this world,  maybe It will give them 5 years or maybe just one, but think about the difference it could make. They will get to spend another 365 days with their family and friends and with people they love , but even that is nowhere near enough time to say goodbye.  Every year more than 3000 lives are saved or prolonged thanks to organ transplant, but currently there are still on average three people die every day whilst waiting for one. The transplant will not make any different to your life as it is done if and after you left the world. Think about what are you leaving behind when you do, you are giving someone the best gift they can ever imagine, a father or a mother a life.
I sometimes think about what would happen when I die, how I die where I'm going to be buried, we all do from time to time. Now I know, I will die saving some else's life. I will bring happiness to people who received my help. This is the reason I signed up to be an organ donor.

OK The next topic I want to talk about is not for the weak, if you have a phobia of hospital talk then please don't read on
Bone marrow/Stem cell transplant

1. A physical examination of your body to assess your health
2. Obtaining the stem cells that will be used in the transplant
3. Preparing your body for the transplant
4. Transplanting the stem cells
5. Monitored during recovery period

This is the five stages of stem cell transplant; I'm not going to say this is easy; I'm not going to say this is not frightening me. I am going to say this is to save a life. Effecting the lives of many and be the person you always wanted to be.
Diseased or damaged bone marrow can be replaced by donated bone marrow, which helps treat, and often cure, many serious, life-threatening conditions, including: bone marrow failure, leukaemia that knocks out your white blood cells and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cell anaemia etc....

The chance of find a match with the same blood type and marrow type is 1 in a thousand, you can be someone's lottery to life. This is why I signed up to be available for stem cell transplant. I'm I scared?  Yes! But the joy override the pain 1 billion times more.

Please think about what I wrote in this journal, please tell your family and friends about this, pass on the link to this journal and make everyone aware what you can do to save a life.

Thank you.

Franklin Fan 13/02/2013