Regular blood donor began lifelong commitment in high school
High school is usually a time of learning and new experiences. Many blood donors say that their first experience with blood donation also occurred during their high school years. In 1994, Deb Freitag joined the ranks of high school blood donors, with a little encouragement from one of her teachers. “When I was a junior, my health teacher taught us about blood types and encouraged students to donate blood at the Red Cross,” said Deb.
That afternoon, her community was holding a blood drive at the American Legion in Monticello, Wis. Although she didn’t know what to expect from the donation experience, Deb took the opportunity to donate blood. After donating, she left the Legion with feelings of pride and contentment, realizing that for the first time ever, she had just done something that could help save the life of someone else.
When her donor ID card arrived in the mail a few weeks later, Deb discovered that she had type O positive blood. “I knew from my health class that anyone with a positive blood type could receive my blood,” said Deb.
Once she discovered the lifesaving potential of her blood, Deb made a pact with herself that she would donate blood at least once a year for the rest of her life. She has kept this pact for over thirteen years. In addition to being a blood donor, Deb and her husband also volunteer at the Red Cross blood drives hosted every three months by Blackhawk Church in Madison, Wis.
Deb is also familiar with the other side of blood donation, those who receive the donated blood. When she was in fifth grade, her uncle Gary was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare type of blood cancer. That year, her family took a trip out to Denver, Colo. to visit her uncle. She didn’t know it at the time, but the trip was intended to be a “good-bye” trip. Gary had just been diagnosed and had not received a good prognosis.
Through the help of blood transfusions, medical research and modern medicine, Gary was able to successfully fight the disease for many years. His struggle with cancer motivated many of Deb’s relatives to become blood donors. Unfortunately, he lost his 24 year battle with cancer in early 2008. In honor of her uncle, and to help the many people who are currently affected by blood cancer, Deb and her husband recently completed a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization that is dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. She hopes that the work she does helps give hope to those affected by blood cancer, and one day helps find a cure.